Siege on the Fairy Kingdom
by FablehavenFan
Summary: SEQUEL TO "THE WRATH OF NAVAROG". The Society of the Evening Star is back, and they want the instruments of eternal power. Can Kendra, Seth, Warren and their friends stop them? It's not going to be easy.
1. Back to School

**A/N: Warning! This story is a sequel to my previous story "The Wrath of Navarog". Please read that one first or else this one will make zero sense to you! Thank you and enjoy!**

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****Chapter 1 – Back to School**

Sitting in the passenger side seat in the middle row of his father's SUV, Seth stared out the side window, watching the rural townhouses as they passed by. On the seat next to Seth was his knapsack, packed with all-new school supplies. This year he would be going into the eighth grade.

Seth and Kendra were both fortunate. Due to the events from the previous year, they had not been to school since December. In order to make up for lost time, the two of them had received private tutoring after the Zzyzx incident that carried on through the summer, sans the period of time they had to deal with Navarog.

Sitting in the seat in front of Seth was Kendra. Seth could never understand as to why Kendra was always so excited about school. To him, school was a real drag. Sure, it was educational, but to Seth, he found it at times to be extremely boring, and it was hard for him to pay attention a lot of the time. Though Seth liked to tease Kendra about her appreciation of school, he secretly envied her.

"We're almost to town," said Mr. Sorenson, as he drove across an intersection. "Your schools aren't far from us now."

Seth moaned. Although he had never been keen on going back to school before, this year was especially difficult. Thanks to Navarog, Seth had been possessed by the demon prince back in June, and had no control over his body or actions for over a month. Not only that, but Seth experienced everything that Navarog did, much of which was severely terrifying. Although Seth was ultimately freed from Navarog, his limited vacation time since then, along with his tutoring, caused the summer to pass by way too quickly.

A few minutes later, the SUV entered Crossroad Pass, a small town located not too far away from Fablehaven. The SUV pulled up to the curb of the local high school, and Kendra opened up her door.

"Good bye, Kendra!" said Mr. Sorenson. "Remember, Warren will be here to pick you up after school!"

"I know," said Kendra, throwing her bag over her shoulder. "See you later, dad! Bye, Seth!"

"Bye," said Seth unenthusiastically, as Kendra closed the door and walked up to the front steps of the school, where many other students were loitering about.

"Your school's not far from here, Seth," said Mr. Sorenson, driving away from Kendra's high school. "Luckily, it's on my way to work, so giving you a lift shouldn't be much of a hassle for me."

"Yay," said Seth, not paying attention to his father.

"Try to have a positive attitude this year, Seth," said Mr. Sorenson. "I know that this is a new school, and that you and Kendra have had to transfer schools since we moved to Fablehaven, but don't let it get the best of you."

"But I've never enjoyed school all that much," said Seth.

"Well, you've always gotten by," said Mr. Sorenson. "You're not going to know anyone here, so try and make some new friends. Just so you have people to hang out with."

The SUV then pulled up in front of Seth's new junior high school. Seth opened the door, grabbed his bag, and stepped out.

"Have a good first day," said Mr. Sorenson. "Remember, you're getting picked up after school!"

"I know. Bye, Dad!"

As Mr. Sorenson drove off, Seth turned around and faced his new school. Though not as large as his previous school, Crossroad Pass Junior High was two-stories high, and had a population of around 150 students from around the area, or so Seth had been told.

Seth made his way through the small crowd of students gathered in front of the school, feeling like a complete outsider. All of them seemed to be with at least one other friend, giving Seth the impression that he was the odd-one-out. It shouldn't have been a huge surprise, given that this was the only junior high in the district, meaning that everyone else probably already knew each other.

Passing through the front doors and entering the lobby of the school, Seth saw that several time sheets had been posted on the bulletin board. Making his way past several kids, Seth skimmed through the sheets, until he found his name on one. He was in Mrs. Terrell's class, Room 203.

With mere minutes remaining until the start of the school year, Seth ventured up to the second floor and found his way into Room 203, where several other students were already being seated. Seth found himself a vacant seat in the back row of the class, and plopped into it.

By the time the bell rang, the rest of the seats had been taken, just as a women, whom Seth presumed was Mrs. Terrell herself, entered the classroom and sat down at the teacher's desk. She was a slender woman, who looked to be in her forties.

Mrs. Terrell introduced herself to the class, although the students mostly seemed to already know who she was. Seth assumed it was that they were returning students who knew her from their previous year.

"Now, we have a few new faces with us," said Mrs. Terrell. "Please raise your hand if you're new here,"

Seth held up his hand, as did three other kids. Two of them were girls, both of whom were sitting towards the front of the class. The other was a small boy in the seat next to him. Mrs. Terrell began asking for the new students' names, starting with the two girls.

"Seth Sorenson," said Seth, as the teacher pointed towards him, before moving her finger over to the other boy.

"Lance Springer," said the boy, turning towards Seth. Seth turned his head over towards Lance and took a look at him. At first, Lance seemed somewhat nerdy, due to the thick-framed red glasses resting on his face.

"So, you're new too, huh?" Seth asked Lance.

"Yeah," replied Lance. "I just moved here over the summer."

"Me too,"

"All right, settle down, please," said Mrs. Terrell to the entire class. "For the first period, I want you all to write a one-page report about what you did over the summer."

"I'll talk to you later," said Lance, pulling a piece of paper and a pencil out of his bag.

"Oh, this'll be fun," said Seth to himself, getting his gear ready. He couldn't really tell about what he had done over the summer. Especially while under the influence of Navarog. Nevertheless, he would have to come up with some sort of story, even if a lot of it involved stretching the truth.

Seth managed to finish his "report" in time for the first bell. As he got out of his seat to hand his paper in to Mrs. Terrell, Lance placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, man. wait up!"

"Uh, did you want something?" asked Seth.

"Wanna hang out at break?"

"I guess," said Seth. "I got nothin' else planned."

Seth and Lance both handed in their papers, then headed to out to the bleachers by the field behind the school, which were mostly empty, save for a few other kids scattered around them. Seth and Lance made their way to a corner in the top row and sat down.

"So, what do you like to do, Seth?" asked Lance.

"Exploring," answered Seth, not wanting to reveal to much information about himself.

"Oh, really?" asked Lance. "Where 'bouts?"

"Just, around. I live out in the countryside, so there's like this forest near my house. But it's no big deal, really. There's forests all over this place! Oh, but I _did_ go to Hawaii back in July! It was a lot of fun!"

Much like he did for his written report, Seth refrained from telling the truth about Fablehaven and the Knights of the Dawn, as well as his whole misadventure with Navarog. Whatever Seth said, Lance seemed to just eat it up.

"So, tell me about yourself," said Seth.

"What'd you say?" asked Lance, fidgeting with his ear, earning Seth's attention.

"Uh, what's wrong with your ear?" asked Seth, leaning over to see what Lance was occupying himself with. He then saw that Lance was actually fumbling with a hearing aid. "Oh, I see."

"Yeah," said Lance, acknowledging Seth's curiosity. "I'm hard of hearing in my right ear. This thing kinda gets loose from time to time."

"I guess you're used to wearing it, though."

"I've needed it since I was little. Same with my glasses. Together, they make me look like a total nerd. Don't you think? Be honest."

Seth snorted. "You should see my sister. She's pretty nerdy. No glasses or a hearing aid on her! No way you could be a bigger nerd than her. You're not really a nerd even, are you?"

"Not really," said Lance. "But a lot of people get that impression right off the bat."

"Believe me," said Seth. "I've met some pretty strange faces throughout my life. A pair of glasses plus some little machine that fits in your ear... You've got nothing on them!"

"Strange faces?" asked Lance, looking somewhat perplexed.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about them sometime. But enough about me. Tell me about yourself."

"Well," said Lance, "I like action movies, video games and comic books! Oh, and sports! I just moved here from North Carolina. I don't know anybody here and I have no friends. Yet. It's pretty lonely at my house. You said you've got a sister? You're lucky, I don't have any siblings."

"I'd say your the one who's lucky," said Seth. "Nah, I'm just kidding. Kendra can be a pain, but she's actually pretty cool. A nerd, of course. But still cool."

"Anyone else?" asked Lance.

"Yeah," said Seth. "I live with my parents, sister, grandparents and cousins."

"You must have a large house. Where do you live, anyway?"

"Just a large house in the countryside," said Seth, trying to change to conversation. He honestly didn't enjoy lying to Lance, but knew that it was for his own good.

"Sounds cool," said Lance. "I just live in a townhouse right here in Crossroad Pass. Our classroom is bigger than my lawn."

"I used to live in a typical house until I moved here. It's no big deal."

"Wanna hang out after school?" asked Lance. "We could go to your place."

Seth's heart nearly jumped. "I dunno. I don't exactly live around the corner from here."

"So?" asked Lance. "How far can you be? You obviously live within the school's jurisdiction, or else you wouldn't be able to come here, right?"

"It's still far," said Seth. "Besides, I can't just have visitors coming over on such short notice. My folks don't like it."

"That's okay," said Lance. "Maybe another time. I know, why don't you just come over to my place, instead?"

"I can't. At least not today. I'm supposed to get picked up after school so I can get a ride home."

"Oh," said Lance. "Well, all right. Maybe another time."

At that point the bell rang, so Seth and Lance left the bleachers and headed back to class. At lunch, the two of them sat across from each other at the same table. Fortunately, Seth managed to keep the conversation mainly to things they were interested in, rather than their everyday lives. Again, during their afternoon break, Seth and Lance hung out once more, never bringing up the subject of Seth's home life. It was a relief, but Seth knew that he wouldn't be able to hide the truth about his life like this indefinitely.

After the final bell rang, Lance followed Seth out of the school and out to the street, where a car was parked. Sitting in the driver's seat was Warren, who watched as Seth and Lance approached the car.

"I gotta go now," sad Seth to Lance. "This is my ride."

"Hey, Seth," said Warren, who had lowered the passenger side window. "You have a good day at school? Who're you with?"

"I'm Lance," said the boy, peering into the window at Warren.

"Nice to meet you," said Warren, as Seth opened the door and plopped himself into the passenger seat. "I'm Warren, a cousin of Seth's."

"Are you busy now?" Lance asked Seth. "If I come over, I can get picked up."

"Well..." began Seth.

"I don't think so," said Warren, "Seth's got stuff to do at home. _Remember_?"

"Oh, right!" gasped Seth. "I'll see you tomorrow, though!"

"Want a lift home, Lance?" asked Warren.

"Uh, no thanks. I live close enough to the school as it is. See you tomorrow, Seth!"

"Bye!" said Seth, as Warren drove off down the highway.

"Seth," said Warren, "who's this Lance fella?"

"He's my new friend. He's new in town, like me."

"He seemed nice enough," said Warren. "But, you know that you can't just bring a friend over without permission."

"I know. But he's just asking. How's he supposed to know about the register anyway?

"Look, you know that we aren't very keen about having visitors at Fablehaven, right?"

"He's my friend," said Seth. "I don't see what the big deal is. It's not like I'd let him get into trouble."

Warren then pulled over at the high school, where Kendra was waiting at the curb all by herself.

"Look, can we just drop the subject?" asked Seth.

"Hey guys," said Kendra, climbing into the back seat.

"How was your day?" asked Warren.

"Okay," answered Kendra. "Got all my timetables and classes organized. Now I'm all set."

Seth moaned. "No offence, Kendra," said Seth, "but do you have to talk about school? I just got out myself and I'm exhausted."

"Fine," sighed Kendra. "I'll talk about it later."

That evening, back at Fablehaven, the Sorensons and the Burgesses were all seated in the dining room, except for Grandma, who was bringing in some food from the kitchen. As Seth and Kendra expected, the adults were all interested in hearing about their first day of school.

"So, Kendra," said Mrs. Sorenson, as she pierced part of her salad with her fork, "did you meet anyone interesting at school?"

"Not really," answered Kendra. "Some of the kids are nice, but I haven't really made any friends."

"Just give it some time," said Mrs. Sorenson. "You've always managed to make a few friends at school."

"Yeah," muttered Kendra. "But I've never really been close to any of my school friends. In fact, until I got involved with the Knights of the Dawn here at Fablehaven, I finally felt like I had true friends."

"Well, I made a friend today," blurted Seth. Warren rolled his eyes.

Seth explained to everyone about Lance. However, when he got to the part about how Lance expressed an interest in coming over to visit, Seth received several frowns.

"What was I supposed to do?" asked Seth. "Lance has no idea what this place is actually like!"

"Seth," said Grandpa. "I'm sorry. But you know how we feel about _outsiders_. The less business they have to attend to here at Fablehaven, the better. Just explain to him that your grandfather's... a bitter old grouch or something. Won't let you have friends over. If he begs to differ, I can talk to him on the phone."

"What is with you?" asked Seth. "I'm attending a_ normal_ school to try and live a _normal_ life. But, when I want to consider having my _normal_ friend come over, you're in hysterics! I mean, I'd keep him occupied the whole time, I'd never let him go beyond the yard..."

"Seth, we can barely keep _you_ from going beyond the yard," said Dale.

"It's not like he suspects anything's going on here," stated Seth. "I've already told him that the forest of this property is boring and all that. I know! I'll have him come over on a rainy day! That way, he really wouldn't want to leave the house!"

"Calm down, Seth," said Mr. Sorenson. "Now Dad, Seth does have a point. Why can't he have his friend come over for a visit? I don't want my own kids deprived of the privilege of having a friend come over for a visit once in a while. At least give Seth one chance to prove his point. He can't keep his own home a secret for the rest of his life, can he?"

"You have a point," said Grandpa. "I'm sure that with the right precautions taken, having a friend of Seth's visit might not be so bad. However, Seth, since you only just met Lance, I'd prefer if you got to know him a bit better before inviting him over. Evaluate his personality. See that he's not the kind of person who has a nack for breaking rules and all that.

"How good does he have to be?" asked Seth.

"As long as he's no worse than yourself, I think we'll be okay."


	2. Friendship

**Chapter 2 – Friendship**

The next morning, Seth had woken up early. In that time, he had managed to shower, get dressed, eat, wash up and be ready for school with a fair chunk of time to spare before having to leave for school with his father and Kendra.

There was quite enough time for him to watch anything on TV before leaving, so Seth stepped outside, hoping to go for a stroll in the garden around the house.

As Seth stepped past a hedge, several fairies who had been fluttering about quickly darted away due to Seth's presence. "Wait!" cried Seth. "I didn't do anything!"

"What's wrong, Seth?" asked a familiar voice.

Seth turned around to see Clover standing behind him. Human-sized, Clover was now a fairy angel, as well as a voluntary protector over Fablehaven, primarily the garden. "Hi, Clover," said Seth softly.

"Are you okay?" asked Clover.

"Not really. It's bad enough that I'm nervous about someone I met at school. And now the fairies here are fleeing from me like they usually do. Why is that?"

"Seth, you know it's your shadow charmer qualities that repels beings of light, like fairies. A more powerful fairy, like myself or Bracken, can tolerate you just fine, but these lesser fairies inhabiting the garden just cannot handle it. Even after you were kissed. You know that."

"I know. But, it's just that I don't want the fairies to hate me."

"They don't hate you. Their reaction is only instinctive. They know that your a good person deep down inside."

"So what?" asked Seth. "It's like I've a jinx or something, ever since the whole incident with Navarog. As if that wasn't bad enough."

"It's not so bad," said Clover. "Maybe the fairies will get used to you."

Seth snorted.

"Well, maybe I can help with your other problem. What was it? Something to do with school?"

"It's not that bad," said Seth. "There's this _friend_ I met there yesterday."

"You've got a friend?" asked another familiar voice. Seth and Clover turned their faces towards the edge of the yard, where Newell and Doren where approaching them from.

"Oh, hey guys," said Seth, as the two satyrs walked over to where he was standing.

"A new friend, you say?" asked Doren.

"What's he like?" questioned Newell.

"Seems friendly enough," said Seth. "A little reserved. Pretty shy. But friendly."

"Oh, great," said Doren. "Newell and I knew this would happen!"

"Knew what would happen?" asked Seth, placing his hands on his hips.

"It figures," moaned Newell. "You were bound to make another human friend going to this new school."

"So what?" asked Seth. "Why can't I have friends outside of Fablehaven? That's all I had before I ever came here. You know that!"

"You're gonna abandon us now that school's starting," said Doren. "Typical."

"Look, I don't need you guys shunning me as well!" blurted Seth. "As if the fairies weren't bad enough."

"Seth's having a bad day, guys," said Clover. "Take it easy."

"I am NOT having a bad day," said Seth. "I'm doing just fine for myself!". Seth then sighed. "I've gotta get ready for school now anyways. Excuse me."

Seth ran back into the house, then plopped himself down on the living room couch. "Stupid fairies," he muttered to himself. "Stupid satyrs. Who needs them? I didn't do anything to them in the first place."

"Seth?" asked Mr. Sorenson, his head peering around the doorway. "Are you ready for school?"

"You bet I am!" exclaimed Seth, leaping up from the couch. "I'll be in the car!"

Seth quickly grabbed his bag, as well as the keys to his father's SUV off of the key rack, and darted outside to the driveway. He then unlocked the passenger seat to the SUV and climbed inside, resting himself on the cozy seat beneath him.

A moment later, Kendra and Mr. Sorenson walked out the front door of the house. Seth watched as they approached the SUV. Mr. Sorenson walked around the driver's side, while Kendra went over to the passengers'.

"Shotgun!" said Seth, sticking his tongue out at his sister. Kendra paid no attention to her brother, as she climbed into the seat behind him.

On the way to school, there was no relevant conversation between Seth, Kendra and their father, aside from some typical small talk. Needless to say, the ride was a lot smoother than it had been yesterday.

"Dale will be picking you and your sister up after school today," said Mr. Sorenson as Seth stepped out of the SUV. "Call home if you're gonna be busy."

"Got ya," said Seth, as he closed the door to the SUV and sauntered over towards the front stops of Crossroad Pass Junior High. Amongst the numerous kids gathered around the area, Seth quickly spotted Lance sitting by himself on a picnic table off to one side of the main path.

"Seth!" said Lance, inviting his new friend over to the table. "How're you?"

"Good," said Seth, giving a high five to Lance.

"You know," said Lance, we ought to exchange phone numbers. "What's yours?"

Before Seth could even respond, Lance whipped out his cell phone. Seth then felt obliged into sharing his phone number, so he told Lance both his home number and his cell.

Lance then relayed his phone numbers back to Seth, and Seth saved them into his cell phone.

"You wanna hang out after school?" asked Lance.

"Uh, maybe," said Seth. "But, it has to be at your place. At least today."

Lance winced. "Okay."

"Uh is it okay with your folks?" asked Seth. "Just letting me come over without even asking them?"

"Of course," said Lance. "My mom's cool with it. Don't worry."

"Oh," said Seth. "I've gotta tell my folks where I'll be if I come over after school."

"Whatever floats your boat," said Lance, as the bell rang. "Race ya to class!"

Lance dashed ahead of the crowd of kids that were herding themselves into the school, so Seth had no choice but to trudge behind the crowd as he made his way to his locker.

During recess, Seth phoned home and asked if it would be all right if here were to visit Lance after school. His parents agreed, provided that Seth got picked up immediately after dinner, so that he would get home in time to get ready for school the next day.

The rest of the school day seemed to just breeze by, and before Seth knew it, the final bell had rung. Seth and Lance met up when class let out, and were soon on their way out of the school, walking towards the sidewalk. Unlike yesterday, nobody was waiting in a car to pick Seth up from school.

Lance led Seth down the street and turned a corner, then walked down two blocks before walking up the path to a seemingly normal two-story house.

"This is my place," said Lance, leading Seth up to the front door. Lance unlocked the door and invited Seth to step into his house.

Seth looked around the foyer. It was completely ordinary. Instead of being decorated in all sorts of fascinating portraits and decor, the furnishing here, while certainly appealing in their own way, seemed somewhat simplistic. It almost reminded Seth of his own house, prior to living at Fablehaven.

"Mom, I'm home!" said Lance.

"Hi!" came a voice from upstairs.

"My friend's here," said Lance. "It's Seth, the one I told you about."

"Hello, Seth," called Mrs. Springer. "It's Sorenson, right? I'm Margot Springer, but feel free to call me Mrs. Springer."

"Hi," said Seth to the voice that was coming from the second floor.

"Lance, why don't you get Seth and yourself a snack? I bought some cookies today, they're in the cupboard next to the cereal."

The thought of cookies quickly filled Seth's head. He hadn't eaten since lunch, and was absolutely starving. Naturally, he followed Lance into the kitchen and sat down at the table, while Lance went over to a cupboard.

"What're you sitting here for?" asked Lance. "We're gonna eat these in the living room!"

"Really?" asked Seth with a smile on his face. "Cool. At home, my folks insist that I eat everything in the kitchen."

"Too bad," said Lance, pulling a big bag of Oreos out of the cupboard. Seth only got a quick glimpse, but saw that the cupboard was stocked full of assorted snacks. Lance then reached into the fridge and took out two cans of root beer. "My mom doesn't care where I eat as long as I clean up after myself."

"My sentiments exactly," said Seth, following Lance into the living room. Upon entering, Seth saw that one wall was lined with a massive widescreen television. "My folks are way too uptight and overprotective sometimes."

"Really?" asked Lance, placing the snacks onto the coffee table. "That sucks. Here, let's a play a game. I've got Xbox, Nintendo, PlayStation, you name it!"

Lance started up a game, and before long, he and Seth were playing away for the rest of the afternoon. Eventually, Mrs. Springer entered the room, waiting for the boys to finish up their current round. She was a rather lean woman, with pale skin and dark hair.

"Excuse me, boys," said Mrs. Springer, "but we'll be ordering pizza for dinner. What do you want on your pizza?"

"Pizza?" asked Seth, as his eyes lit up. "Awesome! I never get pizza at home!"

"We found this really great place in the neighborhood," said Mrs. Springer. "You'll love it! Here's the menu."

Seth accepted a take-out menu from Mrs. Springer, and quickly skimmed through it with Lance. "We'll have bacon, mushrooms, onions and pepperoni!"

"Sounds good," said Mrs. Springer with a smile, as she took the menu back from Seth. I'll go order it now."

For the next half hour, Seth and Lance continued to play more video games, until they were interrupted when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Mrs. Springer, running to the door. "Lance, could you take your pizza into the living room and get some plates?"

"Sure mom," said Lance, getting up from his seat and scurrying over to the front door. When he came back, he placed not only a large pizza box down on the table, but a much smaller box as well.

"What's in that little box?" asked Seth.

"Chicken wings," said Lance, as he stepped into the kitchen. "They're really good!"

"Is this all for us?" asked Seth, as Lance returned with plates for the two of them.

"Yeah. My mom ordered a small pizza for herself, so help yourself to this one."

"Awesome," said Seth, raising the lid off the pizza box and loading several slices onto his plate, along with several barbequed chicken wings.

As they ate dinner, Seth and Lance watched cartoons on TV. After finishing their pizza, Mrs. Springer served them each a bowl of fudge ice cream. Seth was satiated. He couldn't even recall the last time he'd eaten so much junk food. He then remembered that he agreed to go home after finishing dinner, and called for a lift.

"I can drive you home, Seth," said Mrs. Springer the moment Seth hung up.

"That won't be necessary," said Seth, trying to think up an excuse to refuse a lift, so as to keep her away from Fablehaven. "They're already on their way."

"It's no trouble," said Mrs. Springer. "I'm your hostess. I'd be delighted."

"My cousin's gotta run a quick errand in town anyway. No need for you to take me if he's already coming this way in the first place."

"All right," said Mrs. Springer, in a tone of voice that came off to Seth as mildly disappointed. "That's fine."

Seth and Lance continued to play video games until the doorbell rang again. Mrs. Springer answered the door and greeted Warren.

"Hey, Seth," said Warren, peering into the living room. He then whistled. "Nice TV you've got, Mrs. Springer."

"Thank you," she replied. "And please, call me Margot."

"Warren, this is Lance" said Seth, introducing the two of them. "Lance, this is my cousin, Warren."

"Nice to meet you," said Lance, shaking Warren's hand.

"Ditto," said Warren, nodding in response. "Uh, Seth. We gotta get going. Tonight's a school night, and your mom'll kill me if you don't get back in time."

"Right," noted Seth, turning to face the Springers. "Thanks for dinner and everything!"

"Anytime," said Mrs. Springer. "The pleasure it ours."

"See you at school tomorrow, Seth!" exclaimed Lance, as Seth and Warren stepped out through the front door.

"Bye!" said Seth, waving back at Lance while he shut the door.

"Sounds like you had a lot of fun," said Warren, escorting Seth to his parked car.

"It was awesome!" exclaimed Seth. "I'll tell you guys all about it when we get home!"

Warren drove Seth home, where they were greeted by the rest of their family.

"So," said Mrs. Sorenson, sitting on a couch in the living room, "how'd your visit at Lance's go?"

"It was a lot of fun!" exclaimed Seth. "We got to pig out on junk food, play video games on a huge tv, and ate pizza for dinner! It was _soooo _good!

"Sounds like your idea of a good time," said Kendra, folding her arms. "It's exactly what you'd do here if had the chance."

"I know!" stated Seth. "That's what made it so fun! Oh, Lance and I get along really well! I wanna see him again soon!"

"I don't know if that's such a good idea," noted Grandma.

"Huh? Why not?"

"You're telling me that you sat around eating junk food and played video games the entire time?"

"More or less."

"Well, it's not exactly healthy. You know that."

"Lance's mom didn't seem to mind. I bet she lets Lance eat all the junk food he wants."

"This Lance," said Mr. Sorenson. "Is he an only child?"

"Yeah."

"And what's his father like?"

"I dunno. He wasn't there and they never brought him up in conversation. Maybe they're divorced, or he's dead."

"I don't think they're divorced," said Warren. "I called her Mrs. Springer, and she wasn't offended."

"Anyway," continued Mr. Sorenson. "the point is that the two of them live alone. I'd wager that Lance's mother spoils him somewhat, and that because you were visiting, let you guys do and eat whatever you wanted."

"Well, can't I go again?"

"Maybe next week," said Grandpa.

"But that's not fair!" blurted Seth. "Why can't I hang out with Lance sooner? I'll try to eat healthier next time if that's what you're worried about! We'll go outside or something."

Seth's guardians all had a look of doubt in their eyes.

"Well, what if Lance came here, instead? You could monitor what we do."

"Seth, we've talked about this before," noted Grandpa.

"Oh, come on," moaned Seth. "If I'm going to go out and integrate myself into the world, I can't keep my own house a secret forever! If he never comes, sooner or later, Lance will suspect something up. It'd be rude and selfish to never allow him to come over."

Grandpa sighed. "All right. He can come here. However, you boys are absolutely forbidden from venturing beyond the yard."

Seth snorted. "Believe me, I know full well not to expose him to the truth about Fablehaven. I may be dumb, but I'm not stupid."

"I trust you, Seth," said Grandpa. "I know what Fablehaven means to you. As long as you keep your mouth shut, and keep Lance contained within the house limits, I cannot foresee any true problems pertaining to the magical world."

"All right!" exclaimed Seth.


	3. The Visitor

**Chapter 3 – The Visitor**

The next morning, Seth travelled downstairs and sat down at the breakfast table, where the rest of his family were already seated.

"Grandpa," said Seth, picking up a box of cereal, "since we were talking about Lance coming over sometime, I was wondering... Would today be good?"

Grandpa nearly choked on his coffee. "Today?" he sputtered. "I don't think so, Seth. You only saw him yesterday."

Seth sighed. "It figures. I finally manage to make a friend in the normal world, and you're working against me to halt my progress. It's like you exist to control me or something."

"Seth," said Mrs. Sorenson, placing her hands down on the table in front of her, "your grandfather isn't trying to interfere with your life. He just doesn't want you to jump the gun here."

"This doesn't have anything to do with something going on around here, does it? Something you're worried that Lance might see? I mean, we keep normal milk around just to be safe! Of course, that's only if he even _wants_ milk! If he comes over today, I promise not to ask again for a whole week!"

Grandpa and Grandma Sorenson both turn to each other. "Okay, Seth. Lance can come over after school today. Warren will pick you both up. But your friend leaves the moment we finish dinner, and will be driven home by one of us. Is that clear?"

"You mean it?" asked Seth. "Thank you thank you thank you!

Seth quickly ate his breakfast, and could barely contain himself until he was at school, seated at his desk, when Lance walked into the classroom and sat down next to him.

"Guess what?" asked Seth. "You can come over to my place after school! That is, if you want to come?"

"Your place?" asked Lance, fidgeting with his glasses. "You mean it?"

"You bet. I just got an O-K from my folks this morning."

"You're talking about today?" asked Lance.

"Yeah, if you're not busy."

"How would one get to your place?"

"Oh," said Seth. "You just sorta drive around in the backwoods. Make a few turns here and there. I'm not too clear on all the directions and such. It's more of an instinctive thing. But don't worry. My cousin's gonna pick us up anyway."

"I see. I always get dis-coordinated whenever I leave town."

Seth somehow got the feeling that something was wrong with the way Lance spoke. One minute he was excited, the next, he was calm. Maybe it was just his reaction. After all, he was trying to expose Lance to Fablehaven while still keeping its true purpose a secret from him. Perhaps if Lance were to see Fablehaven for what it really wasn't, his curiosity about the place might be curbed.

At that point, the bell rang, forcing Seth and Lance to divert their attention away from their conversation.

"But yeah, you can come over today," whispered Seth, hoping that Mrs. Terrell didn't notice him.

"I'll be there."

Having gotten the urge to ask Lance over out of his system, the rest of the school day went rather smoothly for Seth. The two of them hung out during break and lunch, but they never quite got into what they would do once they arrived at Fablehaven.

Once the final bell rang, Seth zipped out of the classroom and over to his locker, hoping to beat Lance to the car, provided Warren was already there waiting, so that he could discuss any last minute details. Seth grabbed his bag from within his locker and proceeded towards the stairs, but could sense that he was being followed.

"Seth, wait up!" came Lance's voice.

"Relax," said Seth, turning his head to face Lance. "It's not like we'd leave without you."

"Then why are you in such a hurry?"

"I'm... just excited," said Seth, unable to think up a better excuse. "Didn't mean to ditch you."

Lance followed Seth down the stairs to the first floor of the school. However, when Seth pushed open the front door, he immediately realized just how badly it was pouring outside.

"You bring an umbrella?" asked Lance, pulling one out of his bag. Seth shook his head. "That's okay, we can share mine."

"No thanks. We're only going as far as the street. We'll be driven the rest of the way."

"Suit yourself," said Lance. "When you wear a hearing aid, it helps to keep it as dry as possible. I've always gotta be prepared.

"I see our ride," said Seth, having spotted Warren and Dale's sedan parked in front of the school. "Follow me."

Seth dashed out of the school, running across the front lawn through the pouring rain, until he stopped right in front of Warren's car. Without any hesitation, Seth opened the rear passenger door and plopped himself onto the far seat.

"Enjoy your little shower?" asked Warren, as Seth deliberately splashed some droplets in his direction.

"It was _sooo_ refreshing," muttered Seth. "Care to open the sunroof and see for yourself?"

"Where's your friend?" asked Warren.

Before Seth could respond, Lance opened up the rear door and climbed inside, folding up his umbrella along the way. "Don't mind me," he said, sitting next to Seth. "I'm okay long as I got my umbrella."

"You guys ready to roll?" asked Warren, turning on the windshield wipers.

"You bet," responded Seth, as Warren drove away from the school. Before they went very far, they stopped to pick up Kendra, who had been waiting in a raincoat with an umbrella. She graciously climbed into the passenger seat next to Warren, before noticing that Lance was sitting behind her.

"You must be Kendra," said Lance.

Kendra peered behind her to get a good look at Lance and smiled. "Oh, so you're Lance. How are you?"

Although somewhat nervous about Lance's presence, Kendra did her best to just shrug him off as if he were any of Seth's other friends. Kendra was used to their typical hyperactive natures; after all, they were young boys, and friends of Seth's. However, to her, Lance seemed far calmer and more reserved than the others. Perhaps Seth was just maturing after all.

As they drove away from Crossroad Pass, they soon found themselves in the middle of the countryside. Before long, they were closing in on the vicinity of Fablehaven itself. Seth looked over at Lance. He didn't appear to be hesitating at all. His name had to have been added to the register, or else he would've been fretting. But, no. He was sitting casually, his school bag resting on his lap, acting perfectly normal.

Warren drove through the gate and up the long driveway to the house. As it was raining, everyone wanted to get out of the car and into the house as quickly as possible. No time was wasted in scrambling out of the car, and out of the rain through the front door of the house.

As he wiped off his dripping boots on the mat in the foyer, Lance gazed around the spacious foyer with his face aghast. If Seth didn't know any between, he'd have guessed that Lance was seriously impressed. He had already told Lance about the size of the _estate_, but Lance probably thought that Seth was exaggerating.

"Ah, you must be Lance," said Mrs. Sorenson, as she greeted the boy with a hearty smile and extended her hand. "I'm Seth's mother. Welcome!"

"Thank you," said Lance softly, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Can I get you boys a snack?" said Mrs. Sorenson.

"No thank you," said Lance.

"I'll have something," said Seth. "I'm starving! You don't mind, do you Lance?"

"Uh, no," said Lance. "I'm fine."

Mrs. Sorenson led Seth and Lance into the kitchen, where they say down at the table. She then proceeded to slice up an apple into four pieces and presented them to Seth on a plate.

"You sure you don't want one?" asked Seth, picking up a piece and dangling it in front of Lance's face, before pulling it back and stuffing it into his mouth. "We can't always have cookies, you know."

"Fine," said Lance. "I'll bite. Maybe we'll get done faster."

Lance quickly scooped up a piece and chomped down on it. He then helped himself to a second piece, just as Seth grabbed the other one.

"Thanks, Mom!" said Seth, as he and Lance got up from the table and headed back towards the foyer.

"Thought you didn't want any," said Seth, leading Lance up the stairs to the second floor.

"I... changed my mind," said Lance. "I eat enough junk at home. I didn't know your mom was serving fruit."

"Here's my room," said Seth, opening his door. As they walked inside, Lance gazed around at the many games and toys that littered the bedroom.

"Let's play something," said Seth, plopping himself down upon his bed, then grabbing the TV remote off his night table.

"Can I make a suggestion?" asked Lance. "How about hide-and-seek?"

"_**Hide and seek**_?" gasped Seth. "What are you, _five_? We're teenagers! We should be playing something with _at least _an M-Rating!"

"Well, we played nothing but video games at my place the other day. I just wanted to try something more... athletic."

"So, I'll fire up Wii Fit!"

"Have it. Can we _please_ play something where you don't just sit around the whole time?"

Seth rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go and hide somewhere. If I don't find you after looking for five minutes, you win!"

"Give me one-hundred seconds to hide, first. And no miscounting!"

"Alright. But you can't leave the house! Now go and hide somewhere so I can find you and we can get back to playing a _real_ game."

Seth closed his eyes and started counting, listening as Lance's footsteps left the room. He tried to think back to the last time he had played hide-and-seek. From what he could recall, it was at a summer day camp back when he was seven.

"What are you doing in here?" exclaimed Kendra. Seth, who was barely at twenty, could hear his sister shouting up in her attic bedroom.

"I was just looking for a place to hide," said Lance.

"Are you two actually playing hide-and-seek?" asked Kendra.

"Look, I just need a place to hide."

"Well you'll have to go somewhere else. I've got homework to do."

While he continued counting, Seth listened as Lance's footsteps trotted back down to the second floor and began scurrying back and forth across the second floor hallway, before venturing down to the first floor.

Once Seth reached one-hundred, he quickly darted downstairs and began scouring the first floor. He knew that Lance had to be hiding somewhere. Seth searched around the living room, then moved on to the kitchen and dining room, making sure to look in every closet and cabinet. Nothing. Seth tried looking in Grandpa's study, but was reminded that it was usually kept locked whenever Grandpa wasn't using it.

There was only one place Lance could have hidden without leaving the house; the basement. Curious, Seth clasped the doorknob of the door leading down to basement and opened it up. Looking down the stairs, Seth saw Lance standing in front of the dungeon door at the bottom.

"Guess you found me," said Lance, as he began climbing up the stairs. "I didn't know your basement was locked like that. I was trapped by that point!"

"Yeah, yeah," said Seth. "I found you, so now we'll play something_ I_ want."

"At least let me be it once. It's only fair."

Seth snorted. "All right. One more game. But no more hide-and-seek after this!"

"Fair enough," said Lance, as he followed Seth into the living room. "Now, you go hide, and I'll find you."

"I know the rules. Just start already,"

Seth waited as Lance closed his eyes and began counting to one-hundred, prompting him to go hide somewhere. But Seth had no interest in actually hiding. Instead, he retreated to his room, grabbed a handheld game video game, then slid into his closet, leaving it halfway open.

"If Lance can't find me in here, he's hopeless."

About a minute later, Seth heard what he assumed were Lance's footsteps coming up the stairs. "Seth, I know you're up here somewhere."

Seth listened as his bedroom door creaked open. "Where are you hiding?"

From what Seth could gather, Lance barely spent any time looking in his bedroom before leaving. "Not in here."

"Oh, I get it," said Seth to himself. "He knows full well where I'm hiding. He's just faking not finding me so that he doesn't look like a showoff. Maybe I should have picked a better spot. That, or he's just really stupid.

Seth proceeded to play his handheld video game for at least fifteen minutes, before Lance finally came back in. After a few more seconds of searching, Lance slid open the door to the closet, revealing Seth.

"Took you long enough," said Seth. "Why didn't you check here earlier?"

"That would've been too obvious. I thought you were better than that!"

"I'm much better than that," Seth told himself. "If I'd used my shade-walking abilities..."

"I guess we'll play some video games, then," said Lance.

"Now that's more like it!" laughed Seth, as he introduced Lance to his video game library.

The boys played video games for the remained of the afternoon until they were ultimately called down for dinner. At the meal, Lance was formally introduced to the rest of Seth's family. However, Seth learned nothing he didn't already know from the experience. The meal went by rather smoothly. Lance was extremely polite and the food was delicious, as it usually was.

As soon as dessert was finished, Lance's cell phone rang. "Excuse me," said Lance, as he reached for his phone and answered it. "Hey, Mom. Yeah, just finished dinner. You are? Oh, okay. I'll let them know. Where is this place? Uh, hold on a second."

"Seth, what's the address here? My mom's picking me up now."

"If you need to leave, I'll be happy to drive you," said Mr. Sorenson.

"She's on her way over to pick me up right now. If you give me the address she'll be here in no time!"

"You should tell her that we're giving you a lift," said Grandpa.

"But she came all this way already! It's silly to make her turn back when she's so close. Look, if there's no real address for this backwoods place, I'll just give her directions from my memory.

Grandpa placed his head on his brow, then sighed. All right. I'll give you the address. Ruth, see if I left my _glasses_ upstairs.

As Grandma Sorenson headed upstairs, Grandpa collected a scrap of paper and a pen from the kitchen, just as Ruth returned with his reading glasses. Grandpa then put on his glasses and wrote down the address to Fablehaven, which he handed to Lance. Lance immediately called his mother back and relayed the address to her.

"She'll be here soon," said Lance after hanging up.

A few minutes later the doorbell rang. Grandma Sorenson answered it and greeted Mrs. Springer, who was holding up her umbrella to shield herself from the rain.

"Hello!" said Mrs. Springer. "You must be Seth's grandmother!"

"Yes, I am Ruth Sorenson. "Pleased to meet you. Now, I know you must be in a hurry..."

"Sorry to bother you, but may I use your bathroom? I might not make the drive back home!"

"Of course," said Grandpa. "It's right upstairs.

"I guess this is goodbye for now," said Lance, looking around at Seth's family. "Where's Kendra? I didn't get to say goodbye to her."

"She went back to her room to finish her homework," said Mrs. Sorenson. "If it's all right with you, we'll give her your regards."

"So, I guess I'll see you at school tomorrow, then," said Seth.

"Yeah, sorry I had to leave so soon, but my mother insisted on picking me up now."

After hearing the upstairs toilet flush, Seth listened as Mrs. Springer came back downstairs a moment later and stood next to Lance.

"Thank you so much for everything," said Mrs. Springer with a smile. "Come on, Lance, you've got homework to do."

"Good night!" said Lance cheefully, as he and his mother walked out the front door and over their parked SUV, which they quickly climbed into before driving off.

Seth then retired to his room for then night, opting to get started on his homework. He did what he could for a few hours, until it was time to get ready for bed. Right before going to sleep, Seth bid his family goodnight, then returned to his room to go to sleep.

Just as Seth settled into his bed, he could hear his parents' footsteps pacing back and forth outside his door. He'd had a long day. Couldn't they just leave him alone?

Without warning, Mrs. Sorenson opened Seth's door and turned on the light, displaying a worried look on her face.

"Seth, do you know where your sister is?"

"What are you talking about?" moaned Seth. "I'm trying to sleep."

"We can't find her anywhere! She's been in her room since dinner, right?"

"I guess so," said Seth, not knowing what to believe.

"Well," gasped Mrs. Sorenson, "as far as we can tell, Kendra is missing."


	4. Captive

**Chapter 4 - Captive**

Seth froze beneath his bed sheet. "What do you mean, she's missing?" he asked cautiously.

"She nowhere in the house!" said Mrs. Sorenson. "We've been looking up and down for her and found nothing!"

Seth snorted. "Maybe she went off to visit Bracken or her fairy friends."

"She'd never take off like this without telling us!"

Seth immediately thought back to the incident from the previous summer in which Errol Fisk duped him and Kendra into helping him steal the statue of Olloch the Glutton, as they had not informed their parents about that after-dark ordeal.

"I have no idea why she'd go. I mean, it's not like we're keeping the magical world a secret from you and dad anymore. I can't imagine what she has to hide, and why she'd take off now."

Seth slipped out of his bed and walked over to the entrance to his room, standing next to his mother. "Where in the house have you guys checked?"

"Everywhere!" blurted Mrs. Sorenson. "Every floor, every room! And her cell phone isn't working!"

Dale suddenly scurried down the hallway, then stopped in front of Seth's room, where he turned to face Seth and Mrs. Sorenson. "Stan is calling an emergency meeting downstairs. Let's go!"

Feeling as though his body were made of gelatin, Seth and his mother followed Dale downstairs to the living room, where Grandpa, Grandma, Warren and Mr. Sorenson had already gathered. Seth took a seat on the sofa next to Warren.

"All right," began Grandpa. "Everyone that's in the house appears to be here. I hate to say it, but we have reason to believe that Kendra has gone missing. Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue as to where she could be."

"We don't want to jump to conclusions," said Grandma, "but we're fairly confident that Lance or his mother, if not both of them, are responsible for this."

"What are you talking about" asked Seth. "Lance is my friend, and his mother is really nice!"

"I heard Errol Fisk was pretty nice at first," noted Dale. "Where did that lead to, again?"

"But this is different!" snapped Seth. "We saw Lance and his mother leave the house by themselves! I even heard them drive off!"

"We know, Seth," stated Grandpa. "And we were sure to remove their names from the register the moment they left, just to be safe."

"But there _were_ instances in which Lance and Mrs. Springer were unsupervised while under this roof, correct?" asked Mr. Soreson.

"Well, yeah," said Seth. "Lance and I played hide-and-seek for a while. But that all before dinner. And Kendra was at dinner."

"How long did you play hide-and-seek?" asked Grandma, with a worried look in her eye.

"Just two rounds. I didn't want to play, but Lance insisted. I only appealed to him so he'd get it out of his system."

"Where was Lance hiding while you were it?" asked Grandpa.

"At the bottom of the stairs leading to the dungeon. Don't worry, he didn't suspect what was going on behind that door."

"You'd be surprised," said Grandpa. "And what about when you hid?"

"He took his sweet time."

"How long was his _sweet time_?" asked Warren.

"About fifteen... minutes," said Seth confessedly. "He didn't really look in the right spot for me."

Grandpa frowned. "I think Lance was looking for something other than you. And he might have just found it." Grandpa then proceeded to hold up a small book. Though he'd only seen it a few times before in his life, Seth knew it all too well.

"The register?" asked Seth. "What makes you think Lance found it? You keep it locked in a hidden safe in your room. It was locked just now, wasn't it?"

"Yes," replied Grandma. We've looked it over and found no evidence that anybody other than Lance Springer or Margot Springer have been here.

"You don't suppose someone else with the exact same name could sneak onto the property if their name is already in the register, do you?" asked Mr. Sorenson.

"You mean, like, another individual by the name of Lance Springer?" asked Warren.

"No, the register is special," began Grandpa. "It can read the thoughts of whomever writes in it. As such, it records the writer's interpretation of whatever name is written on its pages. Whenever a figure gets near Fablehaven's distractor spell, it senses their physical appearance and legal name. Should a legal name not be available, a solid description will do. If the name and appearance of the figure match up with a name in the book, it permits entry. For all others, it rejects them."

"You said name and appearance," stated Warren. "But you wrote down Mrs. Springer's name without knowing what she looks like."

"In that case, the detection factor ignores appearance. If the Society, or whomever, is behind this, they've likely done their homework."

A moment later, a green flash of light appeared in the room, revealing Clover. Her vibrant green hair, dress and shamrock-like wings strongly clashed against the current atmosphere.

"I'm sorry," she muttered, "but none of the fairies from the garden found any sign of Kendra at all. They've looked across the entire property, but found nothing. We'll keep searching, though."

"We've found no actual leads as to where Kendra went, or to how she got there,"said Grandpa. "I don't know what to do."

"Kendra," sighed Seth. "Where are you?"

* * *

Feeling both woozy and dreary, Kendra peered open her eyes. Had she not been able to see in the dark, she would not have been able to make much sense of her surroundings. Even so, she felt like her head was spinning, and sat up.

Now sitting on an uncovered mattress on a floor, Kendra could see that she was in some sort of jail cell in a cold, dank room, her mattress being the only piece of furniture within it.

Immediately, Kendra bounced onto her feet and clenched her hands against the bars to her cell. They were fairly secure, with no viable way for her to break them under her strength alone. Looking beyond her cell, Kendra came to the conclusion that she was probably in a basement, as the room was littered with piles of boxes, old furniture, and a furnace.

"Hello?" asked Kendra, trying to see if someone else was in the room. But where was she? How did she get here. One minute, she was at her desk working on her homework in her bedroom, next she was in this strange jail.

"Anybody?" she shouted, not knowing what to expect. She knew things were bad, but was hoping that at least someone would be kind enough to explain things to her. Who could it be? The Society of the Evening Star had been disbanded. Hadn't it? True, many members were still at large, but they supposedly had no further motive.

Kendra reached into her pockets to try and locate her cell phone, but it was not there. She figured that if it wasn't there before, she was frisked before being jailed. A lot of good it would do her if she could not even find the thing.

Kendra then heard a door creak open, and turned her attention over to the staircase at the far end of the room that led upstairs. She then noticed a small, bipedal figure, no larger than a monkey, scurrying down the stairs, until it was obscured by all the clutter on the basement floor. Kendra listened as the creature's footsteps came closer and closer, until it appeared before the cell.

Looking down at the creature, it appeared to be almost troll-like. It had green skin, small teeth, long nails, and a smooth, bald head. It was completely naked, saved for a diaper-like garment covering its torso. The creature looked up at Kendra with both a scowl and a wicked smile.

"What's the meaning of this, waking me from my beauty rest?" asked the creature in an oily, high-pitched voice.

"I'm sorry," said Kendra. "But what's going on? Who are you?"

"I make the decisions around here," stated the creature. "But since I already know who you are, I'll introduce myself. "My name is Jake."

"Jake?" asked Kendra. "What are you?"

"Are you dumb? I'm a- wait, you see through my disguise don't ya? Well, I am a datchit. A so-called _sub-species_ of golbins. Hmmph. I'm no _sub_-species, I'll say that much."

"Where am I?"

Jake pressed his claws together. "Why would I tell _you_? You're _my_ prisoner! I don't have ta do a damn thing you say, now, do I?

"Please!" gasped Kendra. "Why do you have to be so mean?"

"Would you shuddap?" whined Jake. "I don't care how powerful you are. Without your stupid fairy friends, you're a weakling. _I _could take ya."

"What do you want with me?" asked Kendra.

"I'm tired. I'm in no mood for a conference. We'll check on you in the morning. Now keep it down or I'll have to do something to ya."

Kendra watched as Jake scampered back behind the clutter and returned up the stairs, before slamming the door behind him. As soon as Jake was gone, Kendra glanced at her watch, which displayed the time as being three-twenty-one.

Sadness overcame Kendra's emotions. She'd been in far more perilous situations than this before. But nevertheless, this whole ordeal was still too mysterious for her. She figured Jake, if he was in on this whole ordeal, knew enough about Kendra's identity, and that he was probably associated with the Society. But how did this happen? Jake implied that there were others with him, giving Kendra the impression that he did not do this by himself.

Unable to sleep, Kendra waited out the following hours lounging around on her mattress, afraid to make any noise in case Jake were to come back prematurely. He didn't seem that strong, but Kendra had learned not to judge others by their size. Besides, if he was weak, what was to stop him from possibly shooting her with a gun, or something of that ilk? Not to kill, but to inflict pain.

Worrying about herself, her friends and family, Kendra waited out the next few hours in fear, wishing that someone would show up to rescue her. She imagined that the others were all worried sick, not knowing what to do in order to find her.

At long last, the door at the top of the stairs opened up, grabbing Kendra's attention instantaneously. Jake made his way over to the cell, holding in his hands a glass of orange juice and a plate with half a bagel and cream cheese.

"Here's your grub," snorted Jake, passing the glass between the bars to Kendra's cell. Although she was wary about accepting food in this situation, Kendra was dying of thirst. She grabbed the glass and chugged down the orange juice, which was admittedly very refreshing.

Jake then slid the plate with the bagel underneath the barred door, so that Kendra could reach down and grab it.

"Aren't ya gonna say thanks?" asked Jake, a sneer etched upon his brow.

"Uh, thanks," said Kendra, who was unsure whether or not she should be grateful given the circumstances.

"The others are gonna be down here soon, so eat up."

Kendra was in no hurry to meet these so-called _others_, but complid to Jake's suggestion, and quickly finished her juice and bagel. She then handed the glass and plate back to Jake,who placed them down to the side. Before long, Kendra watched as two more figures trotted down the stairs, both of whom were human.

The two humans, a man and woman, both of whom were probably in their thirties, made their way over to where Jake was standing. Both of them seemed quite satisfied to see Kendra behind bars, and were admiring her as if she were a work of art.

"Good morning Kendra," said the woman confidently. She had a petite figure, short black hair, and piercing blue eyes.

"Who are you?" asked Kendra.

"We were waiting for you to pop the question," said the man. He was of average build and sported curly black hair. "My name is Matthew."

"And I'm Ashley," noted the woman. "Are you satisfied yet?"

"I do suppose an explanation is in order," said Matthew, looking at Ashley.

"You kidnapped me..." gasped Kendra. "I know it."

"You're right about that," said Jake.

"How?" asked Kendra.

"We were granted access to Fablehaven and used our magic to smuggle you out," said Ashley.

"We're expert sorcerers," said Matthew.

Ashley held her arms to her sides, and before Kendra's eyes, had transformed herself into a long, black, venomous snake, and was slithering between the bars into her cell. Kendra was terrified as Ashley coiled herself around Kendra's midsection, squeezing tightly.

"I'm a shape-shifter," said Ashley, as she uncoiled her body from Kendra's, slithered back through the bars and transformed back into a human.

"But, how did you kidnap me?"

"I guess there's no point in accomplishing something if you're unable to boast about it," said Matthew, stroking an eyebrow. "Does the name Lance Springer ring a bell?"

"Lance?" asked Kendra. "Him? He did this?"

"Hardly," noted Ashley. "But let's just say he's on our side. The Society of the Evening Star. Perhaps you've heard of us?"

"What did Lance do?" blurted Kendra. "And how did you get past the register? It was upgraded to keep out anyone or anything sentient enough, no matter how much they resisted it, due to a breach last summer."

"You're right," said Matthew. "We'd never have been able to bypass the barrier, so long as our names were not written down in the register. But our friend Lance was kind enough to go out of his way to seek out the register and add our names to it."

"No!" gasped Kendra, unable to believe what she was hearing.

"So we tagged along with Margot undetected when she came by to pick Lance up," said Ashley. We used our powers to infiltrate the house and track you down."

"They couldn't stop what they couldn't see," said Matthew, fading before Kendra's eyes. "And then I made you disappear."

Kendra felt something strange happen to her body, as she became all tingly. She was now standing outside the cage, to the side of Ashley, Matthew and Jake.

"By transporting you into the back of Margot's car," said Ashley, where I knocked you out with the tradional method of a cloth and chloroform. I guess it happened too fast for you to notice."

"When they see your names on the register, my family's coming after you!"

"Like that'll happen so fast," said Matthew. "For one thing, this house is not our actual home. And two, Lance wrote our names down using a little something called umite wax. Just because they can't read it doesn't mean its not there."

"But what do you want with me?" asked Kendra.

"We have great plans for you," said Ashley. "You see, we know about the whole incident regarding the instruments of eternal power."

"And your true fairy potential," added Matthew.

"Not to mention the instruments themselves."

"And how they're being protected in the fairy kingdom."

"But why do you know all this?" asked Kendra.

Jake rubbed his scaly hands together, then peered at Kendra. "Are you familiar with grovelins?"

"Aren't they similar to you?" asked Kendra, trying to piece information together.

"Oh puh-lease," said Jake. "Those little creeps? Hardly!"

"As Jake was saying," continued Ashley. "Navarog may have mentioned at one point that it was a grovelin that stowed away in Vanessa's backpack after your adventure at Pileus Palace."

Kendra shuddered. That very grovelin was wrongly brought into Fablehaven, where it infiltrated the house and secretly destroyed the old register. "What _about_ the grovelin?" she asked fiercely.

"That little grovelin witnessed everything," said Matthew. "Assembling the Omega Star, your fairy prime power, Navarog's fate. He wasn't able to recover the instruments on his own, so he left Fablehaven and sought out the Society of the Evening Star. Or rather, what remained of it."

"So this little grovelin, who earned himself the name Snitch," continued Ashley, "found his way to Oblivion."

"Who's Oblivion?" asked Kendra, having never heard the name before.

"A close accomplice of the Sphinx's," said Matthew. "Or at least he was, until you knights got your way with him."

"Keeps a low profile," noted Ashley.

"Real low. He never talks out loud and we've never even seen his face. His yes-man does all the speaking for him."

"And how do you guys factor in to all this?" asked Kendra.

"Oblivion recruited us not only to bring you to him, but to grant unwanted access into Fablehaven," explained Matthew. "And what better way to test the breach by abducting you."

"And just _what_ do you want with me? What makes you think I'm gonna give in to your demands?"

"We're not going to waste our time merely _convincing_ you to lend us your powers," said Ashley.

"We'd rather extract them by force," hinted Matthew.

"Much easier than negotiating with you and trying to earn your cooperation."

"Kendra, imagine yourself as a bottle of wine that just won't open. Nobody cares about the bottle, just the contents. And since unscrewing your cork is unnecessary busy work, we're content with just smashing you open instead."

"We're going to let you out of your cage now," said Matthew. "We ask that you freshen yourself up."

"But, why?" asked Kendra cautiously.

"We've got an appointment with Oblivion, of course," said Ashley. "Wouldn't want to make a bad first impression with him, would you?"

"Your first, and last," laughed Matthew.


	5. Missing

**Chapter 5 – Missing**

Having barely gotten any sleep that night, Seth woke up in the morning feeling terribly groggy. It was practically impossible for him to sleep given the unexplained disappearance of Kendra.

Seth sombrely rose out of bed and got dressed, then washed up in the bathroom. Gazing upon his own face in the bathroom mirror, he couldn't help but notice that thick bags had formed under his eyes. Seth couldn't help but wonder why sleep was even necessary given the potential danger that his sister could be in.

Seth made his way downstairs and sat down at the dining room table, where the rest of his family was already seated, with their own breakfasts placed in front of them.

"Good morning, Seth," said Mr. Sorenson, as Seth glanced around the table.

"Any word on Kendra?" asked Seth, barely able to finish his sentence.

"Unfortunately, no," replied Grandpa. "The fairies spent all night searching every last acre of Fablehaven, but no traces of Kendra were found. All the dens and burrows of the creatures. Nothing. No leads or anything. It is safe to assume that Kendra is nowhere to be found on this property."

"We're going to have to search for Kendra who-knows-where-else," commented Warren. "As it stands, we have no concrete info as to her whereabouts, except that Lance was likely involved."

"Wait a minute," said Seth. "Why not just borrow the Occulus and use it to find her?"

"We discussed the issue with Agad last night," answered Grandpa, "but it's already been sealed away in a new place of protection, as have the other artifacts. Even if we were to retrieve it, we'd have no safe way of using it. Also, Kendra is the only one of us with any experience in using the Occulus, and even with her fairy powers, it's still a risk. To the rest of us, it could prove disastrous."

"I know!" blurted Seth. "If we can't use the Occulus, maybe we could reassemble the Omega Star and wish for Kendra to return! Kendra's fairykind, so maybe the fairies will agree or something!"

"That won't be an easy request," said Grandpa. "Even though Kendra has connections to the fairies, they aren't just going to give us the instruments like that. There's probably some huge procedure they'd make us endure before we so much as see a glimmer of the Accelerizer."

"Look, I'll talk to Lance today," said Seth. "But I won't mention Kendra to him. I'll act casual. Maybe get myself invited over to his place so that I can scope the place out. Even if Kendra's not there, I might find a clue."

"It's worth a try," said Mrs. Sorenson. "We can't let Kendra go missing _again_."

* * *

Meanwhile, Kendra had been let out of her cage to wash herself up in a bathroom located in the basement that she was being held in. When she stepped out wearing her clothes from yesterday, Ashley approached her, holding some fresh clothes.

"We can't present you to Oblivion wearing _those_ rags," muttered Ashley, stuffing the clothes she was carrying into Kendra's arms. "Put these on and be quick about it."

Kendra returned to the bathroom and unfolded the clothes out on the counter top. It was then that she saw that the clothes were a glittering pink dress, covered in lace and frills, along with matching stockings and slippers. Then it hit Kendra. They were going to dress her up as a present for Oblivion. Kendra didn't like where this was heading, but was unable to think up a way out of the situation.

No sooner did Kendra change into the dress did she hear a fist pounding on the other side of the door. "Hurry up!" bellowed Matthew's voice from the other side.

"Coming," said Kendra, as she admired herself in the mirror. Had she not been in such danger, she might've actually thought that the dress looked fairly pretty on her.

"Upstairs, now," said Ashley, as soon as Kendra had stepped out of the bathroom. Kendra let Ashley guide her though the basement, and followed her up the stairs to the first floor of the house. Kendra didn't get to see much, except that she was being led through the kitchen and into the foyer.

Looking around the foyer and into the living room, Kendra noticed that every visible window was concealed by either a blind or shade. The windows on the front door were made of opaque glass; the only way to see out was through the peep hole.

"Our ride is here," said Matthew, as he opened up the front door. "I advise you to not make a scene if you know what's good for you."

Ashley grabbed Kendra's hand and guided her out through the front door. From what Kendra could tell, they had been inside a house presumably somewhere in or around Crossroad Path. Parked at the edge of the curb was a black limousine, which Ashley and Matthew led Kendra towards.

"We'll be travelling to our destination in style," said Matthew, as a chauffeur got out of the driver's seat and darted around the rear passenger side door, which he opened up as Kendra and her captors approached.

"Good morning," said the chauffeur, as Kendra stepped into the back seat of the limousine. "Oblivion is looking forward to meeting you."

Upon hearing the chauffeur mention Oblivion, Kendra could feel her heart sink down into her stomach. If the chauffeur was in on the group's secret, then trying to ask him for help was out of the question.

Kendra took a seat that was facing backwards, and watched as Matthew and Ashley sat down in the seats across from her. Jake leaped up onto the seat next to Matthew and stretched his legs out. Being in a limousine brought reminded Kendra of when she had travelled to that Knights of the Dawn meeting in Georgia the previous summer.

"If you act up, you'll be riding in the trunk," said Ashley.

"Where are we going?" asked Kendra.

"To see Oblivion," said Matthew. "But his exact whereabouts are none of your concern."

Kendra flinched upon hearing the limo's ignition start up, and her tension only rose as the vehicle started moving. She tried not to make eye contact with Matthew, Ashley or Jake, and instead focused her attention looking out one of the tinted windows. Naturally, the Society wouldn't want any unwanted eyes peering into the back seat.

"This calls for a toast," said Matthew pointing his hand towards the limo's mini bar. Suddenly, a bottle of champagne levitated into the air, along with three wine glasses. Kendra watched as the cork popped out bottle, which poured itself into the glasses, which then floated into Matthew, Ashley and Jake's hands.

"Ah yes, a toast," said Ashley, as the bottle floated back into the bar, where the cork returned to it. "But we shouldn't celebrate too much, yet. Save that for when we visit Oblivion."

Ashley, Matthew and Jake then clashed their glasses together, giving themselves cheers.

"Care for a drink?" asked Matthew, facing Kendra, before the eyeing the champagne. He then snickered and laughed, as Ashley and Jake chimed in.

Having finished his champagne, Jake jumped down from his seat and scurried over to Kendra. "So, when do we get to pick at Kendra's brain?" he asked, upon leaping onto the seat next to Kendra and stroking the side of her head.

"Patience, Jake," said Ashley. "Oblivion requested that he be the one to interrogate dear Kendra.

We'll be at headquarters soon enough. In the mean time, we can watch something on TV."

* * *

Following breakfast, Mr. Sorenson drove Seth into town on his way to work as he usually did. However, Warren, Clover and Bright had gone along for the ride as well. When Mr. Sorenson pulled up to the curb in front of Seth's school, Seth hesitated before opening the door.

"I think I'd like to supervise Seth," said Bright, "in case something's up with Lance. I mean, if he's actually a bad guy, and he suspects that we suspect he's bad, he might retaliate."

"Not a bad idea," said Warren. "But the staff of these schools aren't keen on fairies bouncing around the hallways and watching over kids."

"I'll watch out for Mr. Crocker," said Seth. "But it's better if Bright stays out of sight."

"Not a problem," said Bright, as she shrunk down to her diminutive form in a poof of rainbow-colored sparkles. "Now to just hide on myself in my own little void."

The others waited for a moment, but Bright didn't do anything.

"What's taking you so long?" asked Clover.

"I can't seem to enter my void."

"Well, the voids were granted to us when we became fairy guardians. Now that we're no longer guardians, perhaps we've lost the privilege."

"But we're above guardians now!"

"Look, I gotta get to class," said Seth. "Just hide in my backpack or turn invisible or something."

"Okay," said Bright nervously, as Seth unzipped a pouch in his backpack and let the fairy fly into it.

"Hopefully Clover and I can find out something about Kendra over at Lance's house," said Warren. "Careful what you say to Lance himself, and good luck!"

Seth jogged out of the SUV and through the front doors of his school, just as the first bell rang. He quickly made his way into Mrs. Terrell's classroom, where the rest of his peers were in the midst of finding their seats.

Once everyone had settled down, Seth looked over at Lance's seat. It was empty. "No," muttered Seth to himself. "He cant!"

"Good morning," said Mrs. Terrell, who was standing at the front of the room next to her desk. "I'll be coming around to collect your homework assignments."

Seth opened up his backpack and glanced down inside. As he pulled out his homework, he noticed Bright looking back up at him. Seth shifted his eyes to indicate that he was looking around the room, the shook his head before closing the zipper.

"Thank you, Seth," said Mrs. Terrell, as she collected his assignment."

"Uh, do you know why Lance isn't here today?" asked Seth.

"Oh, yes. Lance is sick today. His mother called in for him earlier."

"Okay," said Seth, who secretly grew furious underneath his skin. He then looked back down into his bag at Bright, who had no doubt heard Mrs. Terrell's response.

"We'll get to the bottom of this," said Bright quietly. "Just try to get through the day."

Seth was certain that Mrs. Terrell had been misinformed. Lance seemed perfectly healthy the previous night, and the off-chance of him be legitimately ill were fairly low. Hopefully Warren and Clover were having better luck than himself.

Before Seth could think any further. Mrs. Terrell began lecturing the class on either explorers or colonists. As if paying attention to his teachers had been tough enough for Seth on a typical basis, it was next to impossible whilst he had something so urgent on his mind.

Unable to listen, Seth picked up his pencil and proceeded to doodle on a piece of scrap paper. He honestly felt like crying, since he didn't have a plausible excuse to leave the room. His doodle wasn't of anything sensible, it was just a bunch of scribbled lines.

After doodling for several minutes, and going through two pieces of paper, something caught Seth's attention; a hand-written message printed in bright, glossy green ink appeared on the paper, as if by magic.

_Where's Lance?_

_-Clover_

Seth looked around the room, trying to spot wherever it was that Clover was hiding, until it hit him that she was using magic to hide herself and write the message.

Below Clover's message, Seth wrote his response:

_I don't know. His mom called in sick._

Seth anticipated a response, but had to wait roughly twenty seconds before the writing on the paper vanished, and a new message appeared.

_He's not at home either. Something is definitely wrong here. Hang in there._

"Are you passing notes, Seth?" asked Mrs. Terrell, standing in front of Seth's desk.

"No, I wasn't passing-"

"This better be relevant to the lesson," she said, placing her hand atop Clover's message.

"Look, it's nothing,"

"Then you won't mind me reading it to the class?"

"No, don't!" exclaimed Seth, receiving strange looks from his classmates as Mrs. Terrell walked up to the front of the room.

As Mrs. Terrell prepared to hold the paper in a position from which she could read it, she began to fumble around with her hands. "Where is it?"

"Where's what?" asked Seth, who could tell that the paper was gone, but wasn't sure as to why.

"Your little note. It was in my hand a second ago. I didn't drop it, did I?"

The other students all shook their heads and looked down at the path Mrs. Terrell had walked from Seth's desk to her own, unable to locate the aforementioned paper.

"It's like it just disappeared into thin air," mumbled Mrs. Terrell, as the phone on her desk suddenly rang. "Excuse me."

Mrs. Terrell picked up the received and answered her phone. "Yes? What?"

Seth shrugged as Mrs. Terrell turned her attention towards him.

"Oh, really?" asked Mrs. Terrell into the phone. "I guess so. I'll tell him." Mrs. Terrell then hung up the phone."Seth Sorenson, please grab your belongings and report to the principal's office immediately."

"Seth's in trouble," said another student teasingly.

Ignoring him, Seth grabbed his stuff and opened his backpack. From inside, Bright looked up at him, displaying a confused look on her face, as Seth lowered his gear into the backpack. He then swung the straps onto his shoulders and proceeded to leave the classroom.

Seth walked down the second floor hallway to the stairwell, pondering what the phone call could have been about. Was the Society on to him too? Were they planning a trap for him as well? He almost felt like calling for help on his cell phone, before he came to the realization that he had help with him.

Seth darted down to the first floor, then made his way into the boy's washroom. It appeared to be empty at the moment, but he glanced under all of stalls just to make sure that the coast was clear, then entered one and locked it.

"Bright, come out," said Seth, opening the zipper.

"Where are we?" asked Bright, examining her surroundings. "Kinda stinky in here. I think I preferred the backpack."

"The boy's room. I don't know if I should go to the office. That phone call might be a trick. Possibly the society."

"Do you even know who called in for you?" asked Bright. "It could be good!"

"I should've asked, but that note scored enough trouble for me with Mrs. Terrell as it was."

"I know. That's why I removed it."

"Thank god. I about to suspect that she might work for the society."

"Seth!" cried Clover, who had suddenly appeared in her diminutive form, startling Seth and Bright. "What are you doing in here?"

"I should be asking you the same thing. This is the boy's room!"

"Look, why didn't you go to the office? Warren's waiting for you! I had to home in on Bright just to find you!"

"Sorry," muttered Seth. "I'm coming!"

Seth unlocked the door to the stall and stepped out into the centre of the washroom, then approached the main door. Before he reached it, the door swung open, and a large, muscular boy, gasped upon seeing Bright and Clover floating around by Seth's side.

"Fairies!" gasped the boy, who seemed speechless.

Without a second thought, Bright launched a beam of magic at the boy, causing him to collapse to the floor and faint.

"That was close," gasped Bright. "Good thing he was an average mortal, or I wouldn't have been able to knock him out so easily."

"What'd you do?" asked Seth. "When he wakes up-"

"He won't know what hit him," said Clover.

"Look, you two hide. I'll go to the office and then we can get the hell out of here."

As the fairies disappeared, Seth dashed out of the office and ran to the principal's office, where Warren was waiting for him.

"There you are," said Warren with a sigh of relief. "What took you so long?"

"Let's just go. I'll explain on the way."

Seth and Warren made their way out of the school and walked until they were off the property.

"So Lance isn't at home or school," said Seth, as they continued down the sidewalk. "But can we be sure he's with the Society?"

"We shouldn't jump to conclusions," said Warren. "But the pieces all do seem to fit."

"How sure are you that Lance isn't at home?" asked Seth.

"I'm wagering that he's not there. Nobody answered the door and there was no car in the driveway. And just to be sure, Clover entered the house and did a quick inspection."

"So where do I come in to this? It's not like Lance was at school for me to check up on in."

"We need to look for clues. And Lance's house is the best place to start looking."

Almost momentarily, Seth and Warren arrived at the front door of Lance's seemingly empty house. Bright and Clover then flew out of Seth's backpack and used their magic to unlock the door. They quickly entered the house and then shut the door behind themselves.

"What if they come back?" asked Seth. "Lance might really be sick and could be in the hospital.

And if someone catches us, couldn't we get arrested for breaking and entering?"

"Of course not," answered Warren. "We didn't break anything. Yet. Let's just look for information we can use. I'd start with Mrs. Springer's bedroom.

"Like she'd just leave clues lying around," lamented Seth, following Warren up the stairs. "Don't tell me you're expecting to find a note lying around that reads "Hey, good guys! Kendra is being held in house across the street!"

"Finding notes with clues has worked for you before. Don't knock 'em."

"Wait a minute," said Seth with a grin, "I've got a better idea."


	6. Looking Out

**Chapter 6 – Looking Out**

Just before he reached the top of the stairs, Warren turned around on the spot and looked down at Seth, displaying a gleam of hope in his eyes.

"So, tell me about this.. idea," said Warren suspiciously, with a guilty smirk lined across his face.

"Well, it might not work, but here it is," replied Seth. "You see, back when Clover found me in the boy's room, she mentioned something about homing in on Bright in order to find me."

"Yeah, so?" asked Clover, wanting to hear the rest of Seth's suggestion.

"How do you home-in on Clover, exactly?"

"She's a powerful fairy. And I'm a powerful fairy. We have the ability to detect each others presence should another one be nearby."

"What about Kendra? I mean, if she's fairykind, is there any possibility for you to home in on her?"

Clover and Bright flew directly in front of Seth's face, just in time for Seth to gaze into their widened eyeballs.

"It _could_ work," said Bright. "Provided Kendra is within the vicinity. I mean, if Kendra's too far away, it won't work."

"And no telling how far away from us she could even be," noted Clover.

"How powerful is this detection ability, anyway?" asked Warren.

"It would barely cover a few blocks," replied Clover. "But if we combined our power, it would be greater."

"It's worth a try, isn't it?" asked Seth.

"What have we got to lose?" asked Bright, nodding at Clover. The two fairies then flew to the top of the stairs and suddenly spurted into their human-sized forms. They then closed their eyes and began to concentrate on something.

"No," said Bright softly."

"She's not here," added Clover. "Not in this house, at least."

"We'll go outside and try again,"

"You'd better try this in the backyard, though," said Warren, leading the other back down the stairs. They travelled through the dining room, into the kitchen, then left through the back door.

Bright and Clover walked out to the centre of the yard, then closed their eyes and attempted to seek out Kendra again. They then held hands, but gave up after a few seconds.

"It's no use," sighed Clover. "We'll have to try again from different spots."

"If only we could fly around and use our power at the same time," said Bright. "But we can't just fly around with our eyes closed! It's too dangerous!"

"What if one of you flew around, using your power, while the other one served as a guide with her eyes open?"asked Warren.

"I've got a better idea," said Clover. "Why don't you guys serve as our eyes while we fly around?"

"Better idea still!" added Bright. "We go back home and recruit the other fairy angels! Not to mention my sisters! Oh, and Bracken too!"

"Hold it," said Warren. "Even if you do recruit more fairies, how're Seth and I supposed to help? I mean, are you just gonna fly us around with you? No offense, but we'd be fairly heavy."

"You humans are _so_ primitive," griped Clover. "Let me fix that."

Before Warren could respond, Clover held out her hands and unleashed a force of sparkling green energy upon Warren, which engulfed his whole body. "What're you doing?" cried Warren, just as the magical essence appeared to fade away.

"Jump into the air," said Clover.

"Fine," said Warren, as he leaped upwards, "but I don't see how-"

Seth's jaw dropped. He had watched as Warren jumped into the air, and remained floating above the ground.

"Whoa," gasped Warren, mysteriously hovering in the air, flailing his arms to manage his position. "What'd you do to me?"

"I just gave you the ability to fly. Figured it might come in handy."

"Oh, do me next, Tinkerbell!" squealed Seth. "I wanna fly too!"

"Allow me," said Bright, engulfing Seth in a flash of rainbow-colored magic in the same manner that Clover did to Warren.

"Oh, yes," said Seth, who could feel the energy dissipating around his body. "I can fly!"

Seth jumped into the air, only to fall back down to the ground, landing on his feet.

"It didn't work. Warren, what's the trick?"

"Uh, Seth," said Bright. "I don't think this is going to work."

"What'd you mean?" asked Seth. "If you can't make me fly, let Clover do it."

"It won't matter. Your body rejected my magic."

"What if you both try?"

"It won't do any good," said Clover. "Your shadow charmer attributes shield you from our enchantment magic. In short, we are unable to grant you the ability to fly."

"This is so not fair!" griped Seth, looking up at Warren, who was floating roughly fifty feet above the ground.

"Maybe we can't give you the power to fly on your own," said Bright, "but should at least be able to levitate you. Let me try that."

Bright swallowed Seth with her magic a second time, causing him to successfully float up into the air.

"It's working!" gasped Seth, waving his arms around. "I'm flying! How do I control myself?"

"You can't," replied Bright, as she, Clover and Warren floated up after Seth. "At least not where you move. Someone will have to pull you around."

"Aw, man!" moaned Seth, who watched as Warren spun around freely in midair. They appeared to be about one-hundred feet above the ground, and Seth could beyond the town no matter what direction he looked in.

"Look, we're not doing this to have fun," noted Clover. "We're trying to save your sister!"

"What about the other fairies?" asked Warren.

"One of us will have to fly back to Fablehaven and recruit them. I might as well do it. Warren, you can come with me."

"We'll be back," said Warren, as he and Clover flew off in the direction of Fablehaven.

Seth looked down at the tiny town of Crossroad Pass, wondering where Kendra could be. He then glanced over at Bright, who was trying to answer his question by attempting to sense Kendra..

"Grab my hand," said Bright, as she extended a hand outwards with her eyes still closed. "I need you to guide me over the town."

"I guess you could just circle the place," stated Seth, as he accepted Bright's hand and she began to fly around in a large, circular formation.

* * *

Meanwhile, the Society's limousine was in the midst of coasting along down a highway somewhere in the countryside. Kendra remained seated, still facing her three captors. She watched as Matthew drew a Cuban cigar from a box, then stuck it in his mouth. Rather than lighting it, Matthew merely snapped his fingers, which caused the tip of the cigar to suddenly start burning.

"I want one too!" whined Jake, as he grabbed the cigar box, dug through its contents and stuck a cigar in his mouth.

"Need a light?" asked Matthew, as he magically lit Jake's cigar in the same manner as his own.

"Thanks," said Jake, as he got out of his seat and skittered over to Kendra. "We'd offer you one, but you're a little young for this, aren't you?"

"Those things are gross," she huffed, as Jake blew some second-hand smoke in her fair. "They're disgusting and smell awful. I wouldn't smoke one even if I _were _old enough."

"Watch it, fairy kid" said Ashley, as Matthew lit a cigar for her. "Or you won't live 'til you're old enough to smoke these."

"Hey," said Matthew, "lighten up. "We're just having a little fun with Kendra before we hand her over to Oblivion."

Ashley snorted. "look, Oblivion wants Kendra in peak condition. "That's why we're letting her ride in this luxurious limo, rather than some dingy trunk."

Kendra squirmed over the thought of being taken to this Oblivion character. She didn't know who he was, and was in no rush to actually find out. She had to do something. Now was probably her best chance at escaping, before it was too late. But she needed a plan."

"I need some fresh air!" exclaimed Kendra, who could barely breathe amongst all the smoke.

"I'll open a window," said Matthew.

"Must you?" griped Ashley. "The highway is _so_ loud."

"I'll just say it," muttered Kendra. "I'm having my period. Can we please stop?"

Ashley snorted. "Fine. But don't take too long."

Ashley then pressed a button next to where she was sitting, and spoke into what appeared to be an intercom. "Pull over at the next exit."

Roughly two minutes later, the limousine slowed down and pulled over into the parking lot of a McDonald's.

"You've got five minutes," said Ashley. "And just to make sure you don't try anything, we'll come with you."

"Hey," said Jake, as Matthew opened the door. "As long as we're here, can I get some Big Macs? With bacon?"

"Get what you want," said Matthew, as everyone got out of the car.

As Kendra stepped out, she looked around and saw several other people in the parking lot. Part of her wanted to scream for help, but she knew that her captors would make her regret trying such a thing.

Upon reaching the entrance, Kendra opened the door, and was greeted by a waft of fried foods.

"Excuse me," said a female employee, who walked up to Kendra, "no dogs aloud."

Kendra looked down at Jake, who was was walking around on all fours. She then remembered that Jake did not appear as a magical creature to most people, and undoubtedly resembled a small dog to them.

"Come on, Jake," said Matthew. "Go back to the limo and wait."

"But I need to place my order!" groaned Jake. "Are they still serving breakfast now?"

Kendra assumed that Jake's speech sounded like dog barks to most people, in order to help keep him hidden in public.

"Let's get this over with," said Ashley, as she led Kendra to the ladies' room. Meanwhile, Matthew stood in line, while Jake slipped out the door and scampered back to the limo. "Now you don't do anything funny."

Kendra swallowed her breath as she swung open and stepped through the door to the ladies' washroom. Once the door closed behind her, she sighed in relief. For once, she was not within the captivity of the society. Only problem was, what was she to do from here? There did not appear to be another exit to the washroom, which was typical, leaving Kendra essentially trapped.

Kendra had been lying about having her period, as she just needed an excuse to get out of the car. Likewise, she didn't even have need to use a toilet. But not only was Kendra running out of ideas, she was running out of places to even run.

Kendra gazed into the mirror and was startled by the bags that had formed under her eyes. She looked dreadful, even with the beautiful dress that she was being forced to wear.

Before long, Kendra heard one of the toilets flush from behind a stall door, breaking her concentration. She listened as the latch was unlocked and waited as a large, portly woman stepped out of the stall, paying no attention to Kendra, and approached the sink.

Almost instinctively, Kendra walked up to the woman, and was greeted by a somewhat perplexed look. "Yes, what do you want?" asked the woman unenthusiastically.

"Can you help me?" asked Kendra nervously. "I'm in trouble."

"Trouble?" asked the woman, looking down at Kendra. "What do you mean."

"I mean, I've been kidnapped, and I need you to call the police."

"The police?"

"Please! This is no joke! It's an emergency! I'd do it myself, but I've had no access to a phone!"

The woman took in a deep breath, then pulled a cell phone from her pocket. "All right. You'd better be telling the truth here."

Just as soon as the woman flipped open her phone, the bathroom door swung open, and Ashley recklessly barged her way in. "What is going on in here?"

"It's her!" gasped Kendra. "She's the one!"

Ashley immediately noticed the cell phone in the woman's hand, then scowled at her. "Thought you could just call for help, did you?"

"You leave her alone!" shouted the woman. "I'm calling the police right away!"

Without warning, Ashley morphed her body into that of a large grizzly bear. While Kendra was startled, the woman was practically mesmerized.

"What?" gasped the woman. "How?"

"I'm sorry," growled Ashley, "but this really isn't all your fault. However, I must do away with you."

Ashley then jumped on top of the woman and began clawing away at her with her claws. The woman screamed in agony as the bear ripped through her flesh,

"Leave her alone!" screamed Kendra, who proceeded to kick Ashley's rear, almost instinctively.

Catching Kendra completely off guard, Ashley reached back with her front claw and grabbed Kendra, then slammed her down against the floor. "Quiet, you!"

Trying not to look over at the gored body that was lying next to her, Kendra suddenly noticed the woman's cell phone to her other side, which she had dropped on the floor when Ashley had pounced on her.

Guessing that Ashley was still preoccupied with attacking the woman, Kendra slid away from the bear, then grabbed the cell phone without getting noticed, and slipped out of the bathroom. From where she was standing, she could see Matthew standing at the front of the line next to the counter.

Matthew was quick to notice Kendra's emergence. Kendra knew that if she were to run for help, there was nothing to stop Matthew from catching her. Even hiding in the mens' room was foolish, as she could just as easily get caught there. Her little detour had cost someone their life, and all she had to show for it was a cellular phone.

At least now Kendra had a chance. Knowing that she couldn't make a call at the moment, she shut the phone off an slipped it into her pocket, just as Ashley, now a human again, stepped out of the ladies' room.

"Limo," said Ashley, grabbing Kendra's hand. "Now. And no complaints."

Knowing that Ashley and Matthew could do horrible things to everyone else in the restaurant, Kendra reluctantly followed Ashley over to where Matthew was standing.

"Are you almost done?" asked Ashley. "We need to be wrapping things up."

"It's almost ready. Go wait for me."

Ashley led Kendra back out to the limousine, where Jake was waiting inside on the seat.

"Where's my food?" asked Jake, licking his lips.

Kendra didn't answer. Instead, she just stepped back inside the back seat of the limo and sat down. She was hyperventilating, and didn't know what to do.

"Calm down," said Jake. "We're taking you to see Oblivion, and that's final."

"You don't care!" shrieked Kendra. "You people just don't care!"

"Well I'm not people," stated Jake. "Your logic is flawed!"

Overcome with rage, Kendra bolted out of her seat, grabbed Jake by his neck, pulled him off his seat, and began to strangle him.

"Put him down, now!" shouted Ashley.

Still hyperventilating, Kendra placed Jake back down, then began to cry. Before long, Matthew walked back to the car, carrying a bag of food.

"What's going on here?" asked Matthew, who placed the bag down in front of Jake, who was still in the midst of gasping for air.

"Kendra here tried to reveal our little operation to a bystander," replied Ashley. "I was left with no choice but to transform into a bear and _deal_ with her. It was messy, but fortunately a sink was nearby."

"How could you!" screamed Kendra. She was normally never aggressive, but now she had been pushed too far.

"Just keep your mouth shut," said Matthew, as he closed the door to the limo, which soon started driving off again. "We're not that far from our destination now."

"So what'd you get me?" asked Jake, as he reached into the bag and pulled out a small carton. "Ooh! A Double Big Mac with bacon!"

Kendra watched as Jake began shovelling food into his mouth. "I was going to share this with you, but after your little outburst..."

"I don't care!" blurted Kendra. "Just- just- just leave me alone!"

"Can I toss a drink at her?" asked Jake, holding back a cup in his hand.

"You mustn't, Jake," said Ashley sternly. "We want Kendra to be as presentable as possible when we meet with Oblivion."

"Just drink it," said Matthew. "But don't complain that you need to pee. We're not making any more stops until we reach Oblivion. But don't worry, we're not that far from this point."

Kendra turned away from the others, staring out the window. She didn't know what to expect as this point. Even though she could feel that poor woman's cell phone taking up space in her pocket, Kendra wasn't sure that it would be enough to save her. Nevertheless, she had faith, as it might very well lead to her only chance of ever being rescued.


	7. Oblivion

**Chapter 7 – Oblivion**

Still floating high above the small town of Crossroad Pass, Bright drifted across the sky. Holding her hand was Seth, who was hovering in the air alongside Bright thanks to her magic.

"Anything?" asked Seth.

Bright, whose eyes were closed shut, shook her head. "I wish my answer didn't have to be _no_,"

"Look, when Clover and Warren get back here with assistance, hopefully we'll have enough power to detect Kendra."

"Well, If Kendra's been transported elsewhere, which could very well be the case, then I'm afraid that we may never find her, even with help from the other fairies."

Still on the lookout, Seth turned his head, then nearly froze.

"Bright!" cried Seth. "Look to your left!"

Hearing Seth's plea, Bright opened her eyes and rotated her body. From what they could see, two figures came flying towards them from the direction of Fablehaven. As the fliers got closer, Seth and Bright could tell that they were Warren and Clover.

"What's going on?" asked Seth. "You were gone for almost an hour!"

"Bad news!" exclaimed Clover. "Real bad news!"

"What's wrong?" asked Bright.

"Clover couldn't access the Fairy Kingdom!" stated Warren. "Something's completely screwed up!"

"Did you two find anything?" asked Clover.

"I wish," replied Bright.

"It was the Society, wasn't it?" asked Seth. "If they got into Fablehaven to abduct Kendra, it wouldn't surprise me if they sabotaged the Great Fairy Shrine while they were there."

Stan wants us all back at the house ASAP," said Warren, "let's go."

* * *

Still riding in the back seat of the limousine, Kendra had cupped her hands over her face, dreading the inevitable. Although Matthew, Ashley and Jake had been talking the entire time, Kendra was too distraught to pay attention to what they were saying, as none of it actually sounded important.

Before long, the car stopped somewhere. Kendra looked out the window, and could see that they were in a upper class neighborhood where the streets were lined with luscious, wide estates.

"Guess what," said Ashley, looking at Kendra, "we're here."

"Where's here?" asked Kendra.

"A mansion owned by the Society of the Evening Star," answered Matthew. "We're just passing through the front gate right now."

"Oblivion is looking forward to meeting you," said Ashley, as the limousine started moving again. "Won't be long now."

Kendra cringed as the limousine travelled down a driveway, and pulled up in front of the mansion.

"Undo your seatbelt," said Matthew. As Kendra complied, she could hear the chauffeur getting out of his seat and walking around to the back door, which he proceeded to open.

Kendra waited while Ashley got out of her seat and stepped out of the car. She expected Matthew to go next, but he merely glared at Kendra, as did Jake.

"Ladies first," said Jake, signalling for Kendra to exit the vehicle. Nervous, defenseless and with no ideas, Kendra got out of her seat and exited the limousine.

Now outside of the limousine, Kendra could see that they were in a fairly large yard, big enough to be a park. It actually looked impressive, with bubbling fountains and ponds, as well as trees, flower gardens and hedges still bursting with greenery, at least until autumn were to start.

Kendra turned around and looked up at the mansion itself. It was a massive building, probably the size of her high school, if not larger. It certainly didn't look like a fortress of solitude, as it was a white structure lined with oak trimmings.

Kendra waited as Matthew and Jake caught up with herself and Ashley, while the limousine proceeded to drive off down a side road not too far from the house. Ashley led the group over to the front door, then rang the doorbell.

Almost instantaneously, the door opened up. Standing on the other side was a woman that Kendra didn't recognize. However, this was due to the fact that she had yet to ever lay her eyes upon Margot Springer.

"Ah, Kendra," said Margot. "We meet at last."

"Who are you?" asked Kendra, as she cautiously followed Margot into the front hall. The room itself was quite large and well furnished, as one would expect in a house of this calibre.

"My name is Margot. Margot _Springer_."

"Springer?" asked Kendra. "Are you-"

"Lance's mother?" answered Margot, cutting off Kendra, "yes, that would be me."

Kendra knew it. Lance was evil, just like his mother. She was so mad and furious that she just wanted to scream.

"You may wash up now, Kendra," said Margot. "Ashley, please escort our guest to the bathroom."

"Of course," said Ashley, grabbing Kendra's hand. Kendra wanted to resist Ashley's pull as she began to drag her away. However, Kendra knew full well that she was unable to resist, and forcibly followed along.

Having entered the small, yet well-furnished bathroom, Kendra could tell that escape was impossible. Worse was knowing that Ashley stood right outside the door, and would be listening to see if she was causing any mischief. Knowing that doom was unavoidable at this point, Kendra washed her hands and face, then stepped back out into the hall.

"Thank you for not trying anything," said Ashley, as she continued to lead Kendra down a hallway that was lined with portraits and sculptures. Part of Kendra almost wanted stop and admire the artwork, but knew that it wasn't the time, and certainly wasn't the place.

After being led up a staircase to the second floor of the mansion, Ashley, Matthew and Jake stopped before a a set of large, double doors, which Matthew knocked on,

"Matthew and Ashley here", said Matthew through the door.

"Don't forget Jake!" shouted the tiny creature.

"We have Kendra," stated Matthew. "Alive."

"Enter." said the voice.

Matthew and Ashley each grabbed one of the door handles and pushed the doors inward, revealing a large office. At the far end of the room was a desk. Standing next to the desk was a tall man dressed in a grey business suit. As Kendra was led into the room, she noticed that the man didn't say anything to her. He merely smiled at her presence.

Once Kendra had reached the desk, she noticed that the boss' swivelling black leather chair was actually facing the far wall. Suddenly, an arm draped in black extended from the chair in the man's direction. Although she saw no hand, Kendra presumed that the figure was signalling the man. The man then leaned over and "listened" to the figure in the chair, but Kendra didn't hear so much as a peep.

"Oblivion is pleased to have you here," said the man, as the chair swung around to face Kendra. It was then that Kendra saw the figure, Oblivion, sitting in the chair. He appeared to be sporting a black robe and hood, but did not have a body. Was the figure a ghost? Was he invisible? Kendra couldn't tell.

"What do you want with me?" asked Kendra. Instead of getting a direct response, Oblivion whispered something to the other man, who proceeded to relay it to Kendra.

"Oblivion wants your magic," said the man.

"He can't have it!" snapped Kendra, not knowing what else to do.

"And just what are you going to do to stop us?" asked the man. "You can either co-operate with us, or we can do this the painful way. It's your choice"

Oblivion then whispered another message to his aide.

"Matthew, please restrain Kendra." said the aide.

"Of course," said Matthew, flailing his hands around Kendra and unleashing a mysterious, magical force upon her. The magic felt tingly to Kendra, but was otherwise harmless. However, she felt unable to move any part of her body.

"What are you doing?" gasped Kendra, as Oblivion stood up from behind his desk, then raised his arms towards Kendra. Although she could not see his hands, Kendra watched as wiry black energy shot out of Oblivion's invisible hands and engulfed her entire body.

After a moment, Kendra felt as though a ghost had passed through her body. She then watched as what appeared to be a strange, rainbow-like glow seemingly burst out of her left breast. Only it had not physically penetrated her body; it was coming from her heart.

Oblivion's assistant grabbed what appeared to be a diamond the size of a baseball off the desk, and held it towards the rainbow. Everyone watched as the rainbow was somehow absorbed into the diamond, until it was gone. However, it had not disappeared, as the diamond was now shining brightly in a spectrum of colors.

Finally, Matthew and Oblivion released their holds on Kendra, who now felt as though something had been stolen from her.

"What did you do to me?" asked Kendra faintly.

"Isn't is obvious?" asked Oblivion's assistant. "Oblivion stole your fairykind power."

A cold feeling overwhelmed Kendra. "What?"

"That's correct. Why go through the trouble of brainwashing and manipulating you when all we want is your power?"

"Give it back!" snarled Kendra, as she reached for the diamond, only for Oblivion to aim his other arm in her direction, and fire a blast of black magic at her, instantly knocking her to the floor.

"Don'tcha know that that sorta thing never works?" asked Jake, peering down at a fallen Kendra.

"So," began Matthew, "what about Kendra?"

Oblivion replied by momentarily whispering his response to his assistant.

"Oblivion is undecided on the matter. Although has already fulfilled her purpose, she is the only one who understands how her fairykind power works. As such, it would be unwise to eliminate her. Therefore, Kendra will be sentenced to the dungeon until further notice. Please take her there at once."

"As you command," said Ashley, as she and Matthew each grabbed one of Kendra's wrists, forcefully pulled her up from the floor, then dragged her away from Oblivion.

"Please stop!" shrieked Kendra, as Ashley, Matthew and Jake escorted Kendra down the hallway.

"Can't you shut up?" whined Jake. "Don't you have an off switch or something?"

"I suggest you keep your trap shut," said Ashley. "You have no hope of escape, and I wouldn't count on your friends to be finding you here so fast."

Not wanting to potentially make things worse than they already were, Kendra opted to remain silent, while she was brought down the stairs to the first floor. She was then led down another hallway to another door. As Matthew opened it up, Kendra saw that it led down to the basement, and was quickly taken downstairs.

While the upper floors of the house appeared to be all nicely furnished, the basement almost resembled a dungeon that had been transplanted out of an authentic medieval castle. If not for the electric lights that were arranged along the ceiling, the place would've either been lit up by sconces, or had no light at all.

Along the walls were what appeared to be jail cells, and Kendra was promptly pushed into the one nearest to the bottom of the stairs. Before she could react, the caged door was slammed behind her.

"And just to make sure you don't break out, I'm reenforcing the lock," said Matthew as he magically laid a curse of some sort upon the door.

"Mission accomplished!" said Jake. "PAR-TEE!"

"Not for you," said Ashley, looking down at Jake. "You remember our orders, right? You are to keep an eye on Kendra for the time being. But don't harm her in any way."

"But we've never had a breakout in here before!" whined Jake.

"We've never had a Kendra in here before!" snapped Matthew. "She's a crafty one. Escaped from the society in the past. Remember?"

"But things were different over there," said Ashley. "Security was too lax. But this dungeon is not Hotel Torina. Plus, Kendra's been drained of her magic."

"And with Jake down here to keep an eye on Kendra, we're gonna keep her locked up," said Matthew. "Come on, Ashley."

"See you around, Kendra," laughed Ashley as she and Matthew went back upstairs, leaving Jake behind at the bottom.

Kendra glared through the bars of her cell at Jake. The tiny thing was almost small enough to fit through the bars if he really wanted to. At this point, however, she was afraid to say anything to him.

"This job is so boring," groaned Jake. "I don't see the point. I've been with this Kendra brat all day! Even if she could break out, how am I to stop her? I know! I'll see if Oblivion can't get me some relief. Besides, I gotta take a whiz, and I hate the toilet down here."

Jake then hopped back up the stairs and then slammed the door behind himself. Despite what had happened so far, Kendra was actually relieved. She was now alone for once.

"He's gone," said another faint voice, that Kendra figured had to have been coming from one of the other cells.

"Who's there?" asked Kendra nervously.

"I can't say," said the other voice, even though it sounded eerily familiar.

"Wait a minute," said Kendra, feeling somewhat enraged. "Lance?"

"It's not what you think!" said Lance's voice. "I'm not a bad person!"

"Oh really?" asked Kendra. "Do you know how much trouble I'm in?"

"You think I'm _proud _of all this?" blurted Lance. "They're using me! Why do you think I'm a prisoner in this dungeon?"

Kendra pondered for a moment. Lance could very well have been forced against his will by the society. However, he could very well be lying to Kendra, in an attempt to gain information. For all she knew, this Lance could even be a stingbulb. At this point, Kendra didn't know what to believe.

"They've been _controlling_ you?" asked Kendra.

"Yes. Through my glasses and my hearing aid. They can not only view the world through my ears, but hear it as well. However, as long as I'm wearing them, I have no control over my actions."

"So befriending Seth..."

"All the society's doing. They did everything in their power to have me befriend Seth. And it worked."

"Wait a minute," said Kendra. "Why are they _making_ you do all this? How did you get involved with the society anyway? I mean, who are you?"

"I'm an orphan," admitted Lance. "I was living in a group home until I got adopted by Margot and Alex Springer. But these _parents_ had no intention of raising me like a normal child. Nope, I was their slave. Forced to do their bidding so long as I wear those glasses."

"So, this whole time..."

"Yes. Last month I was adopted by Margot and Alex, just in time to meet up with Seth at his new school. I had no say in the matter. I knew what was going on, but I couldn't control a thing."

"So, I guess you've heard about Fablehaven?" asked Kendra.

"Yup. This whole magical world thing blew my mind away. Of course, they don't feed me that magical milk stuff, so I've never seen anything for what it really is. To me, Jake's just a barking poodle."

"Back up a second," said Kendra. "The society went through all the trouble of adopting you, tracking down Seth to his new school, arranging for you to attend the school, coercing Seth into befriending you, then getting you invited over to my house in order to kidnap me?"

"Pretty much."

"Why go through all that trouble to kidnap me?" asked Kendra. "If they could figure out where Seth was going to school, why not me then?

"To mess with the register. They made me add Matthew and Ashley to it in order for them to enter the property."

"Great," said Kendra. "How did you, or should I say they, even find the register?"

"I wasn't in control. They just sort of knew. I had brought in a lock-picking kit when I visited. I told Seth to play hide and seek with me so that I'd have a chance to find and alter the register without getting caught. I'm sorry."

"If you're telling the truth, then you're not the one to blame. I just need a way to get out of here!"

"Good luck with that. I just know that the property is full of safeguard to prevent a runway. But I've never even gone beyond this very cell without wearing my glasses or hearing aid. I can't even pick up a phone and call the police!"

"I bet," said Kendra, thinking back to when she had been held captive at Torina's. Suddenly, she remember the cell phone she had taken from that woman in the McDonald's. It was still in her pocket! Fortunately, they had not bothered to frisk Kendra before entering the mansion!

"Lance, I may have a way to get us out of here. But I don't know if I can trust you entirely."

"You mean it?" asked Lance. "Tell me!"

Kendra gulped. If the society was spying on them, either through Lance or some other means, they could easily come downstairs and confiscate the phone.

"Well?" asked Lance.

Unsure if she should trust Lance, Kendra pulled out the cell phone and flipped it open. Immediately, she noticed that only one bar of power remained. Combined with the fact that she was in a basement in an unknown area, there was a chance that her call could fail. Knowing that this might be her only chance, she dialled home to Fablehaven.


	8. Rescue

**Chapter 8 – Rescue**

Kendra listened in on the cellular phone, as it rang several times without answer.

"Hello?" asked the voice on the other line, whom Kendra recognized as her mother's. Unfortunately, the reception wasn't very good. "Who is this?"

"Mom!" squealed Kendra. "It's me, Kendra!"

There a was brief pause. "Oh my god," said Mrs. Sorenson, whom Kendra imagined had placed a hand over her heart. "Kendra, where the hell are you?"

"I- don't know," said Kendra admittedly. "I'm in danger! The society caught me! Help me!"

"We'll... we'll help you!" exclaimed Mrs. Sorenson. "But you need to tell us where you are! Any idea?"

"No. I was just driven along the highway for several hours. I don't know where I am,"

"Kendra..." said Mrs. Sorenson, "you have to at least find out where you are."

"I know where we are!" shouted Lance from his cell. "If it'll help."

Not knowing if Lance was being truthful, Kendra felt as though she had no other choice. "Where are we?" she asked.

"21 Milwood Drive," said Lance. "Denton, New York state."

Kendra immediately relayed the address to her mother. She also mentioned that she was in the basement.

"Got it," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Now Kendra, tell me-"

Kendra pulled the phone away from her face, then looked at it and saw that it had gone dead. Fear spread throughout her body. Hopefully the information had been truthful and accurate. It was up to the others to find her now.

"Who was that?" asked Lance.

"My mother. If you were telling the truth, she'll help get us out of here. If not."

"Believe me, I want to get out of here no less than you! You're the first person I've been able to freely talk to since I got adopted."

Just then, Kendra could hear the basement door swing open, and senses several footsteps trotting down the stairs.

"You left Kendra down here unsupervised with Lance?" hissed Matthew, as he made his way down to the bottom of the stairs with Jake by his side.

"Relax," said Jake, pointing at Kendra. "See, she's still in her cage. She ain't goin' nowhere."

"I doubt those two are even half as dumb as you," said Matthew, as he reached down and picked up Jake in one hand, holding him in front of his face. I just know they were probably sharing secrets."

"Look," said Jake, who's neck was being clenched within Matthew's hand, "would you rather we lock her in a closet somewhere? Or maybe tie her up and gag her?"

"That wasn't what Oblivion requested," said Matthew. "Now stay down here and make sure that they don't chit-chat anymore. If you need anything, press the red button over there for assistance. To make up for you leaving your post without authorization, your relief will come by later than their originally scheduled time.

"Great," said Jake, as Matthew walked back upstairs. "Just great."

* * *

Back at Fablehaven, Bright and Clover, along with a group of small fairies, had gathered by the Fairy Queen's shrine in the centre of the naiad's pond. Seth, Warren, Dale, Grandpa and Grandma were all watching from the shore.

"Let's try this one more time," said Bright, holding her hands in front of herself. "Open the path NOW!"

Every last fairy in the area harness their magical power upon the shrine, causing it to glow in a flash of colors.

"Keep trying!" gasped Bright, struggling to access the Fairy Kingdom. After trying for a few more moments, all the fairies gave up in despair.

"It's no use, Bright," said Clover. "We can't access the Fairy Kingdom. It's like the connection between worlds won't open for us."

"Is everything okay?" asked Grandma, as the fairies all flew back to the shore.

"Something's really wrong," said Bright. "First Kendra disappears, now this! I don't like what's happened. I feel someone is onto us. Something is very wrong."

"What could be wrong with the link between worlds?" asked Grandpa.

"We don't know," said Clover. "We've never had trouble passing through before. It's like something is preventing us from passing through."

"It might not be so bad," said Warren. "Fairies pass through our world and theirs regularly. Once they discover that they're unable to pass through, they'll seek assistance. Besides, they have the Fairy Queen and the instruments on their side. Hopefully they'll sort this whole mess out in time."

"What if fairies can enter our world, but not theirs?" asked Grandma.

"Sooner or later, they'll realize something's wrong," said Warren. "I hope. It's not like we can send them a distress signal."

"Kendra's alive!" shouted Mrs. Sorenson from the path leading to the house. Everyone turned to face her, as she and Mr. Sorenson ran over to the edge of the pond.

"Where is she?" asked Grandpa. "What happened to her?"

"She got kidnapped," said Mr. Sorenson. "She managed to call Marla. Said that the society is back and they've kidnapped her."

Grandpa sighed. "No,"

"She did get us an address," said Mrs. Sorenson. If you can get there fast enough, maybe it won't be too late."

"We'll make preparations immediately," said Grandpa. "Come on, everyone,"

Who's going?" asked Clover, as the group darted back towards the house.

"You fairies, Seth and Warren. "I'd call for reinforcements, but time is of the essence, and we are unable to contact the Fairy Kingdom. However, you and Bright should have enough power to at least infiltrate wherever Kendra is being held."

"Hold on," said Warren, "how do we know what we're supposed to do to find Kendra at this address? What if she's been relocated by the time we arrive?"

"It's the only lead we have," said Grandma. "Use any means of deception necessary during this mission. The sooner you can save Kendra, the better."

Within fifteen minutes, Seth, Warren, Bright and Clover were all packed up and ready to leave. Warren had gotten in the driver's seat, while Seth sat down on the passenger's side, with the fairies in the back.

Prior to leaving, Warren had found driving directions to the address off of the internet, and had a good sense as to where he was heading. He described the town of Denton as a somewhat rural community with a population of roughly one-thousand, not much larger than Crossroad Pass.

The group had left the Fablehaven at roughly noon, and spent the entire afternoon driving westward on various highways towards Denton. Concerned too much about Kendra to think about anything else, the group made as little conversation as possible throughout the trip. Thankfully, traffic wasn't very bad, and they stopped only twice; once for a quick pit stop, the other to fill up on gas.

At roughly a quarter after seven, Seth glanced at the GPS on the dashboard, and located the car's coordinates. "Hey, Warren, looks like we've almost reached Denton."

"At last," said Warren with a smile. "This trip had better been worth it."

At the next exit, Warren got off, then drove down a country road, soon passing a sign that read _Welcome to Denton_. After another minute or so, they had reached a rather lush area, full of several large estates. Keeping an eye on the GTS, Seth could see that their destination was practically around the block, when Warren pulled over to the side of the road and parked the car rather abruptly.

"We don't want to attract any more attention than necessary," said Warren, twisting his key out of the ignition. "We'll go on foot from here."

The group followed Warren to the next intersection, where Warren pointed down the road to the right. "If my guess is correct, then that address should be right down that way."

Looking back, Seth could see the sun setting beyond the horizon, which meant that they were walking eastwards. Before long, they were walking alongside a tall, iron fence, which surrounded one of the estates. Warren looked up at the nearby gate, then smirked.

"21 Milwood Drive," said Warren. "This has to be the place."

Seth gazed through the bars of the fence, and saw a large mansion situated in the middle of the estate. It was uncertain to him, but this was in fact the very house that Kendra had been taken to.

"So, how do we get in here?" asked Seth.

"They're probably not big on solicitors," said Warren, "a direct approach will never work."

"Has there not been a distractor spell?" asked Bright. "This was too easy."

"Maybe," said Clover. "Or maybe not. It's possible that being fairy angels, we're shielding our companions from the spell with our magic."

"The society should know by now that it'd take more than a distractor spell to stop us," said Warren. Course, we've always had Kendra on our side. Not sure how much they know about you two."

"Now let's get into that house," said Clover, holding her hands towards Warren. "I can make both you and myself invisible for five minutes, without consuming too much of my magic. Bright, do the same for Seth.

Bright and Clover released their magic upon Seth and Warren respectively. Seth looked over at Warren and watched as he disappeared. Seth then examined his body and saw that he was still visible.

"It didn't work!" said Bright.

"First the flying, now this!" said Warren.

"It's my stupid shadow charmer power," said Seth. "It's probably rejecting your fairy magic."

"Clover and I will go on ahead," said Warren. "Bright, see if you can come up with an alternative.

Although he couldn't see them, Seth listened as Warren and Clover floated over the fence and flew off towards the mansion.

"Let me try something," said Bright, unleashing more magic upon Seth. "Maybe your shadow charmer status would prefer t_his_?"

Seth felt his body shrink down tremendously. His legs became smaller than the rest of his body, while his hands seemingly disappeared. He could feel some strange fuzz growing all around him, while something grew out of his nose, as well as his backside.

Once the transformation was complete, Seth peered up at Bright through the grass, who was looking down at him.

"It worked!" she gasped.

Unable to speak, Seth merely cawed.

"I turned you into a raven. I figured since raven tend to be associated with darkness,,,"

Seth flapped his wings and then shook his head, showing that he didn't know how to fly. To him, Seth's new body felt incredibly awkward.

"Never mind that," said Bright, as she reached down and picked up Seth, then made herself invisible. Just spread your wings out and pretend you're flying."

Seth did as such, then felt as Bright took off into the air and flew over towards the house. They had soon passed over the vast front yard, when they reached the mansion itself.

"Over here," said Clover, leading Seth and Bright over to a large window sill on the fist floor. Like Bright, Clover and Warren were still invisible.

"Seth?" asked Warren. Even though Seth could see them, he imagined the kind of look that Warren and Clover had on their faces.

"Now to get through the window," said Bright. "This should be easy now since we're right next to it."

In what seemed like a flash, Seth could sense that he was now inside the window, and was now in a hallway of the house. He still seemed to be positioned in Bright's invisible hands.

"Where do we go from here?" whispered Bright. "I don't know where the basement is."

"What about Seth?" asked Clover. "He can still be seen!"

"I dunno. Seth, just keep close to the floor and stay out of trouble. We're not going to abandon you."

Seth listened for the others footsteps, which he realized weren't very loud, as to not attract unwanted attention, and did what he could to follow them.

"Where's the basement?" asked Warren softly. Although the others could not see him, he appeared to be peering through a keyhole into a random door.

"How should we know?" replied Clover. "You want a written invitation or something?"

"A written invitation would be dandy. Perhaps it would give us directions."

After wandering for another minute or so, Seth watched as one of the invisible figures peeked down another door.

"These stairs lead downwards!" Bright whispered quietly.

As Seth followed the other figures down the stairs, he could see them suddenly reappear before his very eyes. Additionally, he could feel his body shape-shifting as it somehow grew back into it natural human form. However, the transformation had caught him off guard, causing him to lose his balance and topple down onto his friends, who in turn all fell down to the bottom of the stairs.

"What... happened?" asked Warren, who examined his surroundings while rubbing his head.

"Guys!" shrieked Kendra in awe from her cell. "Help!"

"Sorry," said Seth, as he stood up and walked over to Kendra's cell with his friends.

"Your transformation wasn't supposed to just _wear off _like that," said Clover.

"Who's there?" asked Lance.

"_Lance_?" asked Seth, who didn't know what to think upon hearing his former friend speak.

"No time to explain," gasped Kendra. "Get me out of here."

"Think you can blast open that cage?" asked Warren, looking at Clover and Bright.

"I wouldn't try it," said Kendra, "it's been reenforced by magic."

"I've got another trick," said Bright, as she pointed her index finger through the bars of Kendra's cell and unleashed some magic upon her. Kendra immediately shrunk to the size of mouse, clothes and all. Almost instinctively, Kendra ran over to and through the bars to her cell. Once she passed through, Bright restored her to her former size.

"Thank you," panted Kendra, throwing her arms around Bright.

"We still have to get out of here," said Clover.

"What about me?" asked Lance, grabbing the group's attention.

"What're you doing in there?" asked Seth. "And why should we help you after all this?"

"You don't understand," said Lance. "Please, it's not what you think!"

"Let him out," said Kendra. "I trust him. It was him who gave me the address."

"You'd better be right," said Clover, as she shrunk Lance with her magic, giving him the opportunity to pass through the bars to his cell. Once he was out, Clover enlarged him back to his original height.

"THANK YOU," squealed Lance.

"Hold your applause," said Clover. "We need to get outta here now!"

Everyone then scurried back up the stairs to the first floor hallway, where Ashley was standing there, as if she had been waiting for them.

"Well, well, well," said Ashley. "You're in such a hurry. But don't leave now. The party's only just begun!"

"Some party" said Warren. "I'm the one who had to bring the _punch_,"

As he said the word "punch," Warren had quickly propped his arm back and smacked his fist into Ashley's cheek. The force of Warren's blow caused Ashley to stumble back into the wall.

"Showed her," snorted Warren.

"Ya shouldn't have done that," said Lance.

"MA-TTHEW!" screamed Ashley, as she shape-shifted her body into that of a rhinoceros. Almost immediately, she began chasing Warren, who hadn't even drawn his sword, down the hallway.

"Leave him alone!" shouted Clover, as she shot Ashley with a blast of magic, regressing her body into that of a tortoise's.

Warren then drew his sword, but held it like he would a hockey stick, imagining Ashley as the puck.

Suddenly, Warren's body shrank down into that of a hare's. Standing behind Warren was Matthew.

"Tortoise beats hare," said Matthew. "Observe."

Still a tortoise, Ashley allowed herself to shape-shift into a jaguar, and began to lunge at Warren, who just wasn't fast enough to dodge her. He was then pinned down to the floor by Ashley's claws.

"Don't even think about it," said Matthew, as he knocked down the Knights' group with a powerful blast of magic.

"We can't reach him!" said Bright, just as Ashley was about to rip Warren's head off with her other claw.

Without any warning, the outer wall crashed open, drawing everyone's attention away from Warren and Ashley's conflict, including the two of them. Before the debris could even clear, Raxtus suddenly appeared, standing inside of the hole he had just created.

"What's going on here?" he asked, unable to recognize Ashley, Matthew or Lance, who were astonished to see him with their own eyes.

"Who is that?" gasped Matthew.

"Raxtus!" exclaimed Kendra.

"A dragon?" asked Ashley, still a jaguar. "No fair!"

"I'll turn that runt of a dragon into leather suitcase!" snarled Matthew, holding his hands in the air as energy cackled between his fingers.

"Enough!" shouted Bright, as she shot a powerful rainbow out of her hands, which hit both Matthew and Ashley, blasting them far down to the end of the hallway.

"Can we please get out of here?" asked Lance. "It'll take more than a rainbow to stop those two,"

Seth looked down and saw Warren, who had been partially maimed by Ashley's claws, trying to climb up Clover's leg. Clover then unleashed some magic upon Warren, restoring him to his human self and healing him in the process.

"Thanks," said Warren, bending up onto his own two legs.

"Lance has the right idea," said Bright. "Clover and I can't fight with magic forever, and who knows who else is hanging around here."

"You don't wanna know," said Lance. "Just be thankful that Oblivion himself isn't here."

Kendra and Warren climbed onto Raxtus' back, while Bright and Clover wrapped their arms around Seth and Lance's bodies respectively. Without saying another word, the group of seven took off through the hole and flew across the front yard of the estate.


	9. Revelations

**Chapter 9 – Revelations**

Raxtus, Bright and Clover all soared across the front yard of the Society's estate with their riders in tow.

"Where are we going?" asked Raxtus, once they reached the edge of the property.

"Follow us," said Bright.

"My car's around here somewhere," said Warren. "First we just need to get as far away from here as possible."

In less than a minute, Bright and Clover had descended next to Warren's parked car, prompting Raxtus to do the same.

"They're bound to follow us," said Kendra. "How're we gonna escape them in just a car?"

"I'll keep an eye on everything from above," said Raxtus. "Go!"

As Raxtus turned invisible, Warren swung open the driver's side door to his car and got in, prompting Seth to get in on the passenger's side. Kendra opened the back door behind her brother and hopped in. When she saw that Lance wanted to enter, she shifted over to the seat behind Warren.

"What about those two?" asked Lance, noting that there was only one more seat for the two fairies.

"Don't worry," said Clover, as she and Bright shrunk down and flew onto the middle seat between Kendra and Lance.

As soon as Lance shut the door, Warren fired up the car's ignition and drove off. After about a minute, Warren turned his head back to look at Kendra and Lance. "Is everybody okay?"

"I am," said Kendra. "I can't believe you managed to actually find me."

"Well, giving us that address kinda helped."

"You can thank Lance for that."

Seth and Kendra both turned their heads towards Lance, who looked somewhat embarrassed.

"Lance," said Seth, "I think you've got a bit of explaining to do."

"The society's been controlling me," said Lance. "You know those glasses and hearing aid I wear?"

"You're not wearing them right now," noted Seth.

"Exactly," said Lance. "Those are magical tools the society has been using to control me."

"So all this time at school..." asked Seth.

"I was not in control of myself," said Lance, who went on to tell the others about his experience with the Society of the Evening Star.

"How do we know we can trust you?" asked Kendra. "I mean, what if you're an ally of the Society that's trying to dupe us somehow?"

"I can at least sense if he's a true human or not," said Bright. "Lance, if you would offer me your hand..."

"Ookay," said Lance, lowering his hand up onto the middle seat of the car, palm facing upwards. Bright then placed her tiny hands upon Lance's palm, and began sensing Lance's aura.

"He checks out," said Bright as she removed her hands, "as a normal human being. "There's no way he could be a shape shifter or a stingbulb."

"But does that prove his innocence?" asked Kendra.

"I'm afraid not," replied Bright. "We'll have to use our own judgement for that."

"If I may," began Lance, "I am _not _an ally of the Society of the Evening Star. I swear."

"But you've been with them for some time, against your will?" asked Kendra.

"Yes. But believe me, I just want to get as far away from the Society as I can."

"Where do you want to go?" asked Seth.

"I don't even know. The whole reason I got into this mess is because I'm an orphan."

"Do you have any relatives?" asked Warren.

"None that care about me," said Lance. "It's how I ended up in a group home in the fist place."

"So what do we do about Lance?" asked Kendra. "The society might try to track him down if we just turn him in to Child Welfare."

"True," said Warren. "As it stands, Lance, you're now an enemy of the society. We need to figure out what to do with you."

"Well, I've heard about you Knights of the Dawn," said Lance. "Think you can take on Oblivion?"

"Who's Oblivion?" asked Seth.

"That's what I've been trying to figure out," said Kendra. "And I've _met_ the guy."

"Well, you guys know about the Sphinx, right?" asked Lance.

Seth snorted. "Do we ever."

"Well, Oblivion was the Sphinx's personal magician. Guy kept a low profile, or so I've heard. He was the Merlin to the Sphinx's King Arthur."

"Why does he wear that cloak?" asked Kendra.

"From what I've heard, Oblivion is shy. He's got a small frame and isn't very imposing to look at. So, he donned that cloak to hide his body. And his voice. My so-called _father_ Alexander is his yes-man, and the only one allowed to hear Oblivion speak.

"What can you tell us about Ashley, Matthew and Jake?" asked Kendra.

"The ones who kidnapped you?" asked Lance. "Well, Matthew Alder is a sorcerer. Not a major one, but still a force to be reckoned with. His wife Ashley is a shape-shifter, and can assume a number of different animal forms."

"Who's Jake?" asked Seth, his eyes shifting in confusion.

"A datchit," answered Lance. "Course I don't know what a datchit's supposed to be. I've never seen a magical creature for what they are. He just looks like a dog to me."

"I believe datchits are little goblin-like creatures," said Clover. "Or at least I think."

"Well, I can vouch for the fact that Jake does fit that bill," noted Kendra.

"Hold on a sec," said Seth. "If you've never seen any magical creatures, what did Raxtus look like to you?"

"Eagles. A bunch of eagles. Course, it seemed really unusual when Ashley called them a dragon after they tore down that wall."

Kendra took another long look at Lance. The poor boy had dense bags growing beneath his eyes, and appeared to be rather unkempt.

"Are you tired, Lance?" asked Kendra.

"Very. But, I'm pretty used to not being able to sleep when I want. The Society uses me for whatever they want whenever they want."

"Dear God," muttered Warren under his breath.

"Well, you're free now," said Bright.

"I just want to sleep," said Lance tiredly, curling up in his seat.

Bright waved her hand towards Lance and a smooth blanket appeared, covering his body from his shoulders down.

Warren yawned. "I could use a good rest myself. We've been out and about all day."

After driving for about an hour, Warren pulled in to the parking lot of a motel off the side of the highway, where he then parked his car. The others all followed him out of the car and into the lobby, where Warren received four keys from the receptionist. He then presented a key each to Seth and Kendra.

"These are for your room," said Warren. "Lance and I will be in the room next to yours."

Saying nothing, Kendra and Seth both nodded. They then ventured back outside, discovered where their door was and unlocked it. Kendra then fell onto the bed closer to the door, and stretched her body across it.

"Every time we get separated, I miss you," said Seth. "Sometimes I never know if I'll get to see you again."

"I'm actually glad to be sharing a room with you," noted Kendra, smiling at her brother.

Seth and Kendra were then interrupted by a knock on their door.

"It's me," came Warren's voice.

"Come in," said Seth.

Warren stepped into the room, while Bright and Clover flew in alongside him.

"I put Lance under a sleeping spell," said Clover. "Hope it'll ease his tension."

"What about the Society?" asked Kendra.

"I spoke to Raxtus," answered Bright. "He's on the roof standing guard. "We'll watch over you guys tonight. Don't worry."

"At least we'll all sleep easy tonight," said Seth, glancing out the window. It's getting pretty dark now."

"Really?" asked Kendra.

"Not that you'd notice," said Seth.

"No, you don't understand," explained Kendra. "Oblivion stole my fairykind power."

"_WHAT_?" gasped Warren. "Kendra... why didn't you say anything earlier?"

Kendra panted. "Well, there was just all this commotion when you rescued us, and I was so exhausted, I just didn't think about it."

"So Oblivion just up and stole your power?" asked Seth.

"Basically," said Kendra. "But now I feel as though I still have it."

"Let me try something," said Warren, as he proceeded to close the curtain, and then shut off the light. The room was now dark, but not completely pitch black.

"It's bright as day," said Kendra. "I have my power back, I just know it."

"Well if Oblivion did in fact steal your power," began Seth, "uh, shouldn't we, you know... GET IT BACK?"

"Oblivion stole my power hours ago. Around lunch time. Or at least, what would've been lunch time had I been fed."

"No wonder you're so delirious," said Warren, turning the light back on. "I'll call room service. We could all use some food. Keep talking, I'm still listening."

As Warren picked up the phone, Seth looked back at Kendra. "What do you suppose Oblivion is gonna do with your powers?"

"Like he'd tell me." said Kendra. "But Lance might know. When he wakes up, you can ask him."

"But this is fairy magic!" exclaimed Seth. "And Oblivion uses dark magic. Wouldn't the two types clash?"

"Magic is magic," said Kendra. "I'm sure he can find a way to harness my power for his own intentions. Otherwise, why would he go through all that trouble to have me kidnapped and brought to him?"

"He must've really wanted yours for some reason. We better get it back ASAP,"

"Lord knows what he's done with it," said Kendra. "Maybe it just returned to me on its own."

Seth snorted. "Doubt it."

"It might not be wise to go back now," said Warren, hanging up the phone. "They'll likely be all crazy prepared for us this time, since they know that we know of their location."

"But what about my power?" asked Kendra. "We don't know what they're doing with it."

"I... wish I had an answer for you," said Warren regrettably. "I know, why not call home?"

Kendra nodded. "Good idea," she said, lifting up the phone's handset and dialling home.

"Who's there?" asked Mr. Sorenson on the other line.

"Dad, it's me,"

"Kendra?" gasped Mr. Sorenson. "Is it really you?"

"It's okay. The rescue was a success."

"Thank god. Is everything okay?"

"There is one problem," said Kendra. "My fairykind power was stolen. But it came back. Somehow."

"Hold on a sec," said Mr. Sorenson. Kendra listened as her father placed the phone down on his end, before enduring a momentary pause.

"Kendra?" asked Grandpa through the phone.

"Grandpa," said Kendra. "I'm fine."

"We're all relieved," said Grandpa. "Where are you anyway?"

"In a motel somewhere in the centre of New York state. Raxtus and the fairies are on guard. How'd Raxtus know where to find us?"

"I called Wyrmroost for backup," said Grandpa. "Figured you could use all the help you could get. Now, from what I understand, your power was stolen, but it came back on its own?"

"Yeah. Like it was never gone."

"We'll have to look in to that," said Grandpa. "Even though the society still has your stolen power, it would be unwise to run back and try to retrieve it. It's best that we try to diagnose the problem when you get back home."

"You think maybe the Fairy Queen could explain things better?"

"Did they not tell you?" asked Grandpa. "We've been unsuccessful in reaching the Fairy Kingdom today. The fairies have been unable to link between our world and theirs."

"They never mentioned that," said Kendra, who couldn't believe what she was hearing. "Is there any way I could help with my power?"

"I'm not getting my hopes up, but I wouldn't count on it. We first learned of the problem this morning, and have been unable to crack it. Likewise, no fairies from the Fairy Kingdom have passed through to us either. I assume that the problem exists on their end as well."

"Wait a moment," said Kendra. "The fairies were entrusted with the instruments of eternal power. "Can't they just form the Omega Star and fix the problem with the barrier between our world and theirs?"

"One would think that. But perhaps they've yet to develop a need to travel to our world since this problem arose."

"I hope so," said Kendra. "Or else, this situation is far worse than it seems."

"That's what we're afraid of. This circumstance alone is peculiar enough. You getting kidnapped at the same time is too eerie to be a coincidence. We have reason to believe that the Society is behind this as well."

"Understood," said Kendra. "But I do have some good news. It turns out that Lance is not evil. In fact, he's an innocent boy who's been controlled by the Society to do their bidding. Namely to get into our house, kidnap me and mess up the register."

"What did they do with the register?" asked Grandpa.

"_Lance _got into the register and wrote down some names using umite wax."

Grandpa sighed. "Why didn't we think of that? Of course, if their names were indeed written down, it counts as being in the register, even if they're invisible to the human eye. We'll find the names and erase them at once."

"What do we do about Lance?" asked Kendra. "He's not under the Society's control at this point. But it turns out that he's really an orphan, and that his legal guardians are members of the Society."

"I don't know. At least not a long-term solution to this problem. If what you say is true, and Lance really is innocent, they we should do everything in our power to protect him from the Society. I'll add his name to the register for when you get back, but we really must keep a better watch on him just to be safe."

"Understood," said Kendra.

Afterwards, Kendra spoke to everyone else at home over the phone to let them know that she was now safe. They would all rest easy knowing that she was no longer in any danger.

A moment later, somebody knocked at the door. Both Kendra and Seth were startled, until Warren opened the door, revealing a delivery man on the other side carrying a box of pizza. Warren paid the man and placed the pizza box down atop Seth's bed.

Kendra grabbed a large slice and shoved it into her mouth. She was practically starving, and felt relieved to bite down on some soft, chewy pizza loaded with pepperoni.

After eating, Kendra got up and stepped outside the motel room.

"Raxtus," said Kendra softly. "Where are you?"

Kendra heard a light whoosh over her head, then felt as a large, invisible hand tapped her on the shoulder.

"Yes?" asked Raxtus softly.

"Can you get me onto the roof?" asked Kendra.

"Sure," said Raxtus, grabbing Kendra and flying up to the roof of the hotel, where he placed her down.

"How are ya?" asked Kendra, throwing her arms around the transparent dragon.

"Pretty good," said Raxtus, hugging Kendra back. "You don't mind if I stay invisible, do you? Even though most people can't see my true, I still need to hide from the Society, because they can."

"I don't need to _see_ you in order to see you," said Kendra. "I'm just glad to be with you again. How'd you know where to find us?"

"Your grandfather provided me with an address," said Raxtus. "Even though I've been unable to figure out how addresses truly work, I was given the general area in which I could find you. Combined with the fairy power emanating from you, Clover and Bright, it wasn't too hard to pinpoint your location."

"You really saved us," said Kendra. "Thank you."

"Anything for you," said Raxtus. "Serving you is enough of a reward. But enough about that. How've you been?"

"Well aside from the kidnapping, and the recent inability to access the Fairy Kingdom, my life's been pretty good. I just started tenth grade at a new school, and I've been enjoying it so far. How about you? Oh, and Geminus?"

Although Kendra was unable to see it, Raxtus appeared to be blushing.

"Well, I... That is to say, we..."

Kendra felt awkward. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," blurted Raxtus. "See, Geminus was asked to come along too, but she... couldn't."

"Why not?" asked Kendra. "Is she sick?"

"No. See, Geminus is... expecting."

"You mean...?"

"I'm going to be a father."

"You are?" gasped Kendra. "Raxtus, that's wonderful."

"We're so excited. Geminus is due to lay the egg very soon, but she's in no condition to go on a long journey. Hence why she didn't accompany me."

"Congratulations to both of you. Have you told anyody else?"

"No one outside of Wyrmroost knows, except for you. But don't tell the others right now. I want to announce this to everyone after we get to Fablehaven."

"Why'd you tell me first?" asked Kendra.

"Just thought you'd like to know," said Raxtus, giving Kendra a gentle hug.


	10. Trust

**Chapter 10 – Trust**

For the rest of the night, Kendra, Seth and Warren all slept soundly. Bright, Clover and Raxtus had taken turns watching over the motel they were staying at, but fortunately, their location was never discovered by the Society of the Evening Star.

Seth was eventually woken up by someone softly shaking his body. Feeling somewhat discombobulated, Seth opened his eyes and groaned, only to be greeted by Warren standing before his bed.

"Wake up, sleepyhead," said Warren. "We've got to check on Lance."

"Is he up?" asked Seth, watching as Warren woke up Kendra in the same manner that he did for Seth.

"Not yet. The fairies are keeping him asleep until you two are ready. I didn't want to leave him unsupervised."

"Okay," said Kendra, as she stretched her arms and yawned, "we'll be over in a moment."

After Warren left, Seth and Kendra both changed into fresh clothes. In hopes that their rescue of Kendra would be successful, Seth and Warren had brought along a change of clothes for he as well. Once they were ready, the Sorenson siblings left their room and walked over to the next room, where Warren let them inside.

Bright and Clover were standing over the bed of Lance, who was currently sound asleep. Warren then handed Seth a small square of walrus butter, which Seth swallowed instinctively. Although he didn't need the butter to see the fairy angels at their full size, it would be mandatory for other magical creatures.

"Let's do this," said Bright, as she waved her arm over Lance, sprinkling her signature rainbow sparkles over his body. After a few seconds, Lance began to squirm around, then opened up his eyes.

"What's going on?" asked Lance, as he came to his senses. "Where am I?"

"Don't you remember, Lance?" asked Seth. "We rescued you from the Society last night."

Lance placed his hands over his face, as if he was checking for his glasses, which were no doubt missing. "You mean, I'm not under their control?"

"You're safe now," said Kendra. "But we're not out of the woods yet. You and I were liberated from Oblivion's house last night. And right now, we're at a hotel between that place and Fablehaven.

"I remember," said Lance, sitting up against the head of his bed. "You guys saved me. I was starting to think that I'd never escape from the society alive. I don't know how I can thank you."

"Information, if you can spare it," said Warren. "But we'd prefer to get you back to Fablehaven as soon as possible for now if you don't mind."

"Look, as long as there are no unwanted names in that register, Fablehaven is exactly where I want to be. I know how hard it is people like the Society to get into that place."

"If everybody's ready, we can check out of this place and head home," said Warren. "As for breakfast, we can stop somewhere along the way."

"Why do that?" asked Clover. "We'd be more than happy to whip something up for you guys."

"Even better," said Seth with a smile.

Soon the group was back on the road in Warren's car, sitting in the same positions as they had been in the previous night, along with the small fairies sitting on the rear middle seat. Remaining invisible, Raxtus opted to fly in the air high above the car.

Seth and Kendra were tempted to interrogate Lance with more questions, but Warren had requested that they refrain from overwhelming him. Munching on a granola bar that the fairies had produced, Lance then washed it down with a glass of orange juice and tried to find a place to put the empty glass, when it suddenly disappeared.

"I'll take that off you hands," said Clover.

"What was that?" asked Lance.

"It was just Clover," said Kendra, "she's being friendly.

"She looks like a butterfly to me," said Lance. "Can she talk?"

"Can I _talk_?" asked Clover, whose voice was inaudible to Lance.

"It's okay," said Seth. "You just need to eat or drink a product made from magical milk. "Can't we give him some, Warren?"

"I'm afraid that I wasn't authorized to share the milk we brought with anyone other ourselves. As much as I'd like to trust him, it would be going against the wishes of both your grandparents and Dale. They're the ones who regulate who's aloud to drink the milk."

Lance turned his body back in order to glance out the rear windshield. "You think the Society could still be out there?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," said Kendra, looking back for herself. "If anything, the Society might be more persistent than us Knights of the Dawn."

"You take that back," said Warren sternly. His cross eyes could be seen through the rear-view mirror.

As they had agreed to not prompt Lance with any more questions, the ride back to Fablehaven turned out to be a rather silent one. For lunch, they stopped at a restaurant. Not because the fairies were unable to summon a lunch for them, but because everyone needed to get out of the car and stretch their legs for a while. They ate lunch at a diner, and while it was nothing overly special, Kendra was grateful that at least they hadn't stopped at McDonald's. What did startle Kendra was that a nearby McDonald's that they did pass at one point could have very well been the one she'd been taken to yesterday. However, Warren did not stop there, so she was unable to check for herself, nor was she eager to find out anyway.

At roughly three in the afternoon, the car passed through Crossroad Pass, signalling that they were now almost home. Before long, they had entered the backwoods, and were soon passing through the front gate of Fablehaven.

When the car pulled up by the front of the house, Kendra and Seth could see their parents, Grandparents and Dale all waiting for them on the porch to the house, waving their arms in hurrah. As soon as Kendra climbed out of the back seat, her parents came running up to her and gave her a hug.

"We're so glad you're all right," said Mrs. Sorenson, grasping on to Kendra fiercely.

"Thank god you're safe now," said Mr. Sorenson, also holding on to Kendra tightly.

"This is Kendra, right?" asked Grandpa. "We just need to be sure."

"We can vouch for her," said Bright, as she fluttered out of the car and assumed her full size, along with Clover.

"And Lance," said Clover, looking back into the back seat.

"Come on, Lance," said Warren, standing next to Lance's unopened door. There was a brief pause, as Lance stepped out of the door and gazed around the estate.

"This place. It really is a preserve?"

"Yes," said Grandma Sorenson, walking over to where Lance was standing. "But we'll get to that soon, I can assure you. But for now, we need to have a good talk.

"Guess it's time for another little meeting," said Warren, as the entire group stepped inside the house and seated themselves

To start things off, everyone who Lance had not properly been introduced to greeted him. Lance then began by introducing himself to the older generations of Sorensons and Dale, telling them the same story that he had told to his rescue party, explaining that he was an orphan who had been taken in by the Society to do their bidding.

"I see," said Grandpa. "So all you desire is to be rid of the Society and live a normal life?"

"Yes," said Lance in agreement. "Problem is, with both my parents dead, I don't even have a normal life to live."

"You're not exactly alone here," said Warren. "Our lives are anything _but_ normal. And we're just as opposed to the Society as you are."

"You're also not the only one is this room who's an orphan, Lance" said Dale. "But the folks here at Fablehaven are as good as any family."

"But, I don't want to _live_ in place like this. I just want my old life back. If the Omega Star rumors are true, just get it back so someone can just _wish_ my normal life. I can't believe I just said that."

"That won't work," said Grandpa. "First of all, the instruments of eternal power are being held within the Fairy Kingdom, which we currently are unable to reach due to speculated meddling from the Society. Secondly, the Omega Star, for all its power, is unable to bring your parents back to life. I'm sorry."

"It was Oblivion," said Lance. "This is part of his plan to claim to instruments of eternal power for himself."

"Mind telling us about this _plan_ of his?" asked Grandpa.

"Yes," added Grandma. "How does Oblivion even _know_ about all this?"

Lance then explained the story about Snitch, the grovelin who had helped Navarog invade Fablehaven and later explained his findings to the Society.

"I can't believe we forgot about that stupid little grovelin," said Seth. "As if having them crawl around in your stomach wasn't bad enough. Those things are nothing but trouble."

"What's done is done," said Grandpa. "As terrible as it may be."

"Go back a bit," said Kendra. "What did Oblivion do to the Fairy Kingdom? Do you know?"

"Oblivion somehow sealed the barrier between our world and theirs using a powerful curse. No doubt it worked if you've been unable to pass through it."

"If Oblivion _wants_ the instruments, why cut off the only path to them?" asked Seth.

"Good question," said Grandma. "And for that matter, why can't the residents of the Fairy Kingdom break the spell?"

"Oblivion is a very powerful sorcerer," answered Lance. "From what I gathered, he cast the seal in some way so that it can only be tampered with from our world."

"How?" asked Grandpa. "How did he do it?"

"I don't know," said Lance. "Being a slave of the Society, I didn't exactly have luncheons with Oblivion every day."

"So, if the Fairy Kingdom in inaccessible, how does this help Oblivion get a hold of the instruments?"

"Perhaps it's to cut us off from the Fairy Kingdom," said Grandma. "I mean, had we appealed to the fairies help when Kendra was kidnapped, we could've easily had them assemble the Omega Star and wished for her to return."

"And just what is Oblivion doing in our world that will allow him to seize the instruments when he's good and ready?" asked Seth.

"Wish I knew," said Lance. "All I know is that it involves the magic that he stole from Kendra."

"So if Oblivion wanted Kendra so badly, why did the Society go through all trouble of getting you to befriend me?"

"Simple, really," said Lance. "Snitch told him about how you were, as he put it... gullible. So, he used me to use you as a means of getting inside Fablehaven. Why did he do this instead of kidnapping Kendra the easy way? Because he wanted to test Matthew and Ashley. See if they were worthy enough to help him in his plan to acquire the instruments."

"I am _not _gullible," said Seth. "I liked you. I thought you liked me."

"I wasn't free to make my own decisions," said Lance. "If it wasn't for the Society ruining my life, I wouldn't even be living in Crossroad Pass to have ever met you."

"I understand," said Seth, who no doubt felt rather disappointed.

"So what do we do about the Society?" asked Kendra. "I mean, we know now for a fact that they're planning to use my magic for something big _and_ bad.

"We may have to track them down again," said Grandpa. "At the very least, we have a lead on four names. Matthew and Ashley Alder, as well as Alexander and Margot Springer"

"I wouldn't count on it," said Lance. "All of those people must each have like a dozen fake names. None of which I've actually learned.

"What about Oblivion?" asked Grandma.

"His real name? Jordan Golding. Not that it'll help you in finding him. He keep an even lower profile than the others, and probably has so many fake names, he's never even used the same one twice."

Just then, a knocking could be heard from the window. Everyone turned to face the window and saw that it was Raxtus. However, standing alongside Raxtus was a large bird that was nearly twice his own size.

"She's here," said Dale. "Might as well give her a fair welcome."

As if it were instinctive, the group travelled outside, where they could get a better view of Raxtus and the bird.

"Who are you?" asked Kendra.

"Do you not remember?" asked the bird. "Your expedition to Rio Branco and Silicon Station?"

"Of course!" snapped Kendra. "You're... the phoenix. Astro-Jet!"

"Correct," said the phoenix. "I am Astro-Jet. Or at least I was, until you wished for me to become a living being with the non-sentient phoenix statue. Due to my organic overhaul, I ask that you refer to me simply as "Jet"."

"After I heard that Geminus would be unable to help us for the time being, I called Carlito Demano at Rio Branco. Jet wanted to help, so she was granted permission to travel here on her own. No doubt it took her longer to get here from Brazil than it did for Raxtus to reach here from Wyrmroost."

"So you were once the computer of a spaceship?" asked Seth.

"Affirmative," replied Jet. "However, my brain was originally conceived as a computer processing unit. Even in my new body, I have yet to properly adapt. Perhaps it is a fault of not being able to think like a machine."

"I'm sorry," said Kendra.

"Don't be sorry," said Jet. "I am grateful to be a living being rather than a slave that has no future prospect. I have been getting used to my new body, and I appreciate it quite a lot."

"So you're going to help us out for now?" asked Seth. "Awesome."

"Affirmative," said Jet. "Now, I see that Kendra has already been rescued. What service of mine would you be requiring?"

"Well, we really are in quite a bind," explained Grandpa, who went on to briefly explain the situation so far to Jet, as well as Raxtus.

"Okay," said Raxtus. "The Society's up to something bad, and the Fairy Kingdom can't be accessed. What are we supposed to do?"

"If you don't mind, I'd like a moment to assess this situation in private. I'll be back momentarily."

Grandpa then stepped back into the house and closed the door behind himself. While he was gone, Kendra and Seth both pictured him walking into his study and pondering for a few minutes. After several minutes actually passed, Grandpa returned back outside to the awaiting group, his head held up high.

"I have reached a conclusion," said Grandpa. "At the moment, we are faced with two priorities. One; catching up with Oblivion and the Society, and stopping their plan, whatever that is. Two; accessing the Fairy Kingdom."

"Going after Oblivion is one thing," began Warren, "but how do you propose that we reach the Fairy Kingdom?"

"I just spoke with Agad. He's agreed to lend us the Translocator for this purpose. Hopefully, its power will allow us to enter the Fairy Kingdom."

"So where is the Translocator?" asked Kendra. "Agad doesn't still have it, does he?"

"It's been locked up inside Labrador Labyrinth," said Grandpa. "You know, the vault that served as the original home for the Accelerizer? It's been restored and is now a full-fledged vault again."

"Not bad," said Warren. "I was pretty bummed that we didn't get to actually explore that place last time."

"Yeah, we know where it is, and it's not that far from here," said Kendra."

"So we go after the Accelerizer," said Seth. "Sounds good. Then we go after the Society. How?"

"Not exactly," said Grandpa. "You're going to be split into two groups. One will go after the Accelerizer, as mentioned. The other will look for the Society, by first paying a visit to... The Sphinx."

"You can't be serious," explained Kendra. "Trusting him?"

"The Sphinx is no longer associated with the Society. He is being kept under heavy guard at Living Mirage. I feel that Seth would be a good candidate for visiting the Sphinx, given his shadow charmer prowess and previous experience. If you're up to it, of course, Seth."

"Me?" asked Seth. "You want me to visit the Sphinx?"

"There's no real risk here. The Sphinx is virtually powerless."

"Well..." began Seth. "Okay. If it'll help. Who would I go with."

"Well, we have eight adventurers altogether," said Grandpa. "Kendra, Warren, Raxtus and Bright. You four will go after the Accelerizer, given your previous experience with vault raiding. The other group will consist of Seth, Clover, Jet and... Tanu."

"Tanu's coming?" asked Seth, eyes wide open.

"Yes. I've briefed the situation to him. You'll meet up with him later."

"What about Lance?" asked Dale.

Everyone turned to face Lance, who looked all fearful and distraught. "I don't want to go on an adventure. I just want to be left alone."

"We understand," said Grandma. "You can stay here for the time being. Don't worry. Fablehaven is a wonderful place to live, at least when it's not under attack by malevolent forces."

"I don't want to live here," boasted Lance. "I just want a normal life. My parents are dead and no one is qualified to look after me! I don't care about this silly fantasy world! I just want to be left alone!"

As if on cue, Lance fell down to his knees and began crying. It was painful and saddening to see Lance cry. The poor boy didn't mean any harm. And due to reasons beyond his control, Kendra could sense that Lance felt partly responsible for her kidnapping, even though it wasn't his fault at all.


	11. Strategies

**Chapter 11 – Strategies**

Throughout the remainder of the afternoon, everyone at Fablehaven devoted their time into helping the two groups pack and prepare for the expeditions. Grandpa suggested that they rest up for the night before setting out on their seperate journeys in the morning.

Having finished up before dinner, Kendra stepped outside onto the back porch and saw Lance sitting on a chair in the garden, watching the fairies fly by.

"How are you?" asked Kendra, as she walked over to Lance.

"Okay, I guess," replied Lance. "I'm a bit more relaxed now. Your Grandma offered me a glass of milk earlier, and now I can actually see all these magical creatures for once."

Kendra reminisced to the first that she and Seth drank the milk for themselves. The experience had been truly remarkable. It was the first magical memory that she ever had.

"So, do you like the fairies?" asked Kendra.

"They're pretty cool, I have to admit."

"See, this magical world isn't all that bad now, is it?"

Lance turned his head and gazed directly into Kendra's eyes. "What are you getting at?"

"Before you said that you didn't care about the magical world. But now that you've been given a chance to see it with your own eyes, it seems that you've taken a liking to it."

"Well... yeah. But I can't live like this."

"What are you saying?" asked Kendra.

"You're right. This magical world really is spectacular. I'm not denying that. But I don't want to live here. I just want a nice, normal life. Ever since my parents died, my life has been a living hell. Now I'm brought here and I'm being completely overwhelmed. I just want a loving family and a normal life. It's all I ask for."

"Maybe we can't provide a normal life," said Kendra, "but we'll always care for you."

"I guess," said Lance. "Hopefully this whole thing with the society will blow over and I can get some normal foster parents for once."

Kendra didn't know what else to say, as she didn't want to risk upsetting Lance more than he already was. "Okay then. I'll see you later."

Kendra went back inside the house and offered to help with the laundry for the remainder of the afternoon. Soon enough, Grandma and Mrs. Sorenson were both hard at work at the kitchen, when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," said Dale.

"How are you, Dale?" asked a familiar voice, drawing everyone in the house into the entry hall.

"Tanu!" said Seth, as he approached the Samoan. "How are you?"

"In spite of all the bad news I've been briefed about, it's great to see you all," replied Tanu.

"You all might as well sit down at the table," said Grandma. "Dinner's just about ready."

"Great," said Tanu with a smile. "I'm starving."

As everyone sat down at the table, Grandma escorted Lance to an empty chair between Seth and Mr. Sorenson.

"You must be Lance," said Tanu, extending his massive arm across the table. "My name is Tanugatoa Dufu, but everyone calls me Tanu. You may as well. I am a potions expert."

Lance accepted Tanu's hand, but gripped it very gently and with a fair bit of caution. "Hi," he said.

"Is something wrong?" asked Tanu.

"Lance isn't exactly a big fan of all this magic stuff," said Seth. "Best not to talk about it now."

After only a few minutes into the meal, Lance got out from his seat and walked over to Grandpa Sorenson.

"May I be excused?" he asked.

Grandpa eyed Lance's plate, and could easily see that the boy had barely touched his drumstick or vegetables. "Well, I'm not stopping you,"

"Thank you," said Lance, as he walked out of the room.

About a minute after Lance left, Clover, in her diminutive form, appeared in front of Kendra.

"Want me to keep an eye on Lance?" she asked.

"Yes. You know what happened the last time he was left in this house unsupervised."

"Kendra, how can you say that?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.

"I don't know," said Kendra, as Clover flew away from the table. "It's that I don't trust him now. But you just never know."

"But the fairies assured us that he was a living human being," said Seth.

"So?" asked Kendra. "What if he's a real member of the society? Say they placed him in that dungeon on purpose, and he's only pretending to be innocent to gain our trust again?"

"Kendra!" shouted Grandpa. "Listen to me. I know your past experience with Lance was unnerving, but you need to learn to trust people for who they truly are. The Society may be full of traitors, yes, but Lance doesn't strike me as someone of their calibre.

Kendra took in a deep breath. "You're right. I shouldn't be so harsh towards Lance. I'll hold off my suspicions until he's proven guilty. Which I hope he isn't. Still, I'd feel safer if he was supervised. Just to be safe."

"She has a point," said Seth. "Lance was acting friendly back when he wore those glasses, and look how that turned out."

"It's getting so that we can hardly trust anyone anymore," said Warren. "Too bad there's no surefire way to detect if someone's truly evil or not."

After dinner, the two groups, sans their corresponding magical creatures, gathered on opposite sides of the living room, sitting on couches and chairs. The elder Sorensons and Dale all congregated in the center.

"Kendra and Warren," said Grandpa, "your mission will be to travel to Labrador Labyrinth and retrieve the Translocator. Understood?"

"Got it," said Warren. "We'll locate the relocated Translocator."

"It shouldn't be so bad," said Kendra. "We already know where the vault is. We actually went there, but didn't get to enter it."

"True," said Tanu. "But you don't know what dangers actually lurk inside the vault."

"How bad can they be?" asked Warren. "The whole reason that the Accelerizer was moved out of Labrador Labyrinth was because the vault's security was deemed too lax in first place."

"Which is _exactly_ why the vault was given a thorough retooling when the Translocator was transferred there," said Grandpa. "Getting through Labrador Labyrinth is not going to be be the stroll in the park that you were expecting."

"Exactly _what_ can we expect to see inside Labrador Labyrinth anyway?" asked Kendra.

"Agad himself had no direct involvement in regard to what was done to improve Labrador Labyrinth," said Grandpa. "And even if he could provide us with information, it's unlikely that he would openly share it, as he's the kind of guy that enjoys testing people and whatnot."

"Well, topping our previous vault expeditions is going to be a large order to fill," said Warren. "I wouldn't be too worried."

"Don't get too cocky," said Tanu. "Remember, you're going into this without any artifacts or instruments this time. They saved our hides in a number of tough spots, but you'll be without them for now."

"Yeah," said Seth. "These vaults are all full of danger. They make a visiting the Sphinx seem almost safe."

"Which bring us to your assignment," said Grandpa, turning to face both Seth and Tanu.

"If I may object," said Seth, "but if the Sphinx is already captured, why do we have to travel to Living Mirage? Why not just talk to him over the phone?"

"I'd given the matter a bit of thought," replied Grandpa. "But I feel that it would be better if you dealt with the Sphinx in person. But I wouldn't worry so much. This mission is probably going to be very safe, given that Agad and the Larsons are in charge of things over at Living Mirage."

"That's what I don't like," said Seth. "I want to go on the _real_ adventure! Not to go for an interview with the Sphinx."

"Sorry, Seth," said Stan. "But as Captain of the Knights of the Dawn, I've decided upon what I feel would be the best choices for everyone."

Seth closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "Oh... all right. So what do we do once we're done with the Sphinx?"

"You are to report back here, regardless of whether you learn anything from the Sphinx or not. Unlike with the Translocator, obtaining solid information from the Sphinx, whose being held within a safe confinement, may prove harder than seeking a physical, existing object in a vault full of danger."

"Then what?"

"Well, if you manage to gain any insight from the Sphinx as to any possible whereabouts of the society, said information can be then used to seek them out."

"Couldn't we also use the Translocator in our search for the Society?" asked Kendra. "I know that it can't take us to places we haven't already been, but it would help, at least as an emergency escape plan."

"You present a bold argument," answered Grandpa. "But bear in mind that the less we potentially expose the Translocator to the Society, the better. Besides, the main purpose we're even going after the Translocator again is to hopefully reach the Fairy Kingdom. If we can do that, we may be able to resolve the whole impenetrable barrier issue."

"Things must be pretty bad if even the fairies in the Fairy Kingdom still haven't resolved the issue using their own power, or even the Omega Star," noted Warren.

The meeting soon came to a close, and everybody proceeded with either last minute preparations, or simply went about their evening routine. By bedtime, everyone had gotten prepared for tomorrow.

At roughly ten o'clock, Kendra, currently clothed in her nightgown, poked her head through the door into the guest bedroom in which Lance and Tanu were sharing for the night. Lance himself was lying down on the bed, while Tanu was sitting on a couch that had been folded out to serve as a second bed, holding a book in his hands.

"Yes, Kendra?" asked Tanu.

"How's Lance?" replied Kendra with a question of her own.

"Okay," replied Lance. "I've had such a long day."

Kendra walked over to the side of Lance's bed, and looked down at the small boy. He really didn't seem like he could be a menace. At least not after what they had already been through. She wanted to help him, but didn't know how. No doubt a foster home would be the best bet, but until they could be sure that Lance was safe from the society, it was best to keep him within a confined locale.

"I'm sorry that your first exposure to the magical world was harsh," said Kendra. "I really wish that we could make it up to you."

"It's all right," replied Lance, "but there's nothing anyone can do. I was happy with my old life. I understand that the magical world isn't completely evil, but it's not anything I want to get involved with."

"Understood," said Kendra. "The sooner we can get everything back to normal, the sooner you can go back to living in the real world. You understand, right?"

"No more Society," said Lance. "But, no more Fablehaven either, right?"

"I don't know," said Kendra. "The magical world was kept a secret from my parents their entire lives until only several months ago. Seth and I even found out about if before they did. And given that you aren't a relative or anything, you might not get to see us again. I don't know?"

Lance placed his hand against his forehead and plopped his head down upon his pillow. "You mean, I might have to put this whole experience behind me?"

"Unless you'd rather live here," said Kendra. "But I know that that isn't what you want."

"I guess you're right," said Lance, turning his head away from Kendra. "Goodnight, Kendra," he muttered faintly.

"'Night, Lance."

As she walked back upstairs to her attic bedroom, Kendra could clearly sense that Lance was sad. She had tried to comfort him, but didn't know how. She then flopped down onto her bed, unsure of how to deal with Lance.

"Bright," said Kendra. "Come here."

Almost instantaneously, Bright appeared by Kendra's bedside. "What is it?" she asked.

"It's Lance. How is he doing?"

"Clover and I have kept an eye on him the whole time. We're pretty confident that he isn't really working for the Society."

"I don't mean that. I want to know how he's doing."

"Aside from being free from the Society, he doesn't seem to be very happy."

"I really wish we could do more to help him," said Kendra. "But we've got to deal with our own problems for now."

"I'll tell the garden fairies to keep an eye on Lance. Even if they're not allowed inside the house, they can still keep tabs on him from afar. Maybe he'll come to appreciate this place more by the time we get everything back to normal."

"What if we can't get things back to normal?" asked Kendra. "Like, we can't learn anything from the Sphinx, or we're unable to access the Fairy Kingdom with the Translocator? Or even recover the Translocator?"

"I don't know," answered Bright. "But we'll think of something. As long as there's hope, we may just have a chance."

"I'd like to believe you," said Kendra, "but what we need right now are the rest of the fairies and their power. That would fix everything."

"There's more to being a fairy than just being magical," said Bright. "It takes heart. That's what really matters."

"We've got plenty of heart, don't get me wrong. But we're going to need power as well. More than what's readily available, especially since Oblivion sapped my own."

"We'll get through this," said Bright. "But I believe that we're gonna need more than just sheer power in order to triumph."

"You've got a point. See you in the morning."

"Goodnight, Kendra."

"'Night, Bright."

The next morning, everyone managed to get ready to take off for their new assignments. Kendra, Warren, Bright and Raxtus had gathered in one spot near the house, while Seth, Tanu, Clover and Jet were standing in another. The rest of the crew at Fablehaven were standing between the two groups, going over last minute details.

"You guys have everything?" asked Mrs. Sorenson, who was standing before Kendra and Warren.

"Naturally," replied Warren, as he secured a strapped bad to one of Raxtus' hind legs. "We're good to go."

Kendra looked around at the rest of the crowd, but couldn't help but notice that something was amiss. "Where's Lance?" she asked.

"Still in the guest room, I believe," said Mrs. Sorenson. "But don't worry, I believe the fairies are keeping an eye on him just to be safe."

Kendra shifted her eyes, "Thanks, Mom. Oh, Shiara, could you come here?"

Almost instantaneously, Kendra's old fairy friend flew over from the nearby garden. "What is it, Kendra?"

"I'd like you to try and befriend Lance while we're gone. Out of all the fairies that I've known at Fablehaven, you're one of the most outgoing ones there are."

"Aw, thank you," said Shiara, who looked like she was about to blush.

"But don't be too hasty. Act natural. Lance is still wary about this whole situation."

"Understood," noted Shiara. "I'll see what I can do."

"Ready to go, Kendra?" asked Warren.

"All ready on our end," said Tanu over from his group.

"Let's do this," said Raxtus, as Kendra and Warren climbed on to his back. Bright shrunk down to her smaller size and nestled herself inside a satchel that Kendra was wearing on her waist. Clover then flew over to the group and gave Warren a quick kiss.

"I'll miss ya," she said.

"We don't plan to be gone long," said Warren, wrapping his arms around Clover. "The others need you right now. Take care."

"Good luck," said Clover, flying back to Seth's group.

Raxtus then spread his wings out, then made a running start before leaping into the air with Kendra and Warren seated across his back. As they flew upwards, the group bid farewell to the people below, and watched as the other group did the same riding on Jet.

Kendra and Warren waved to Seth and Tanu, until they were out of sight, flying off in another direction.

Getting to Labrador Labyrinth would be easy, regardless of the fact that they had already travelled there less than two months ago. The flight seemed to go more smoothly than their previous trip, possibly due to the fact that Raxtus had taken the route before.

By the time the group had approached the cliff side in Newfoundland and Labrador where the entrance to Labrador Labyrinth lay, Kendra noticed that it wasn't even noon yet. Without instruction, Raxtus flew down to the face of the cliff and entered the root and moss-filled alcove that housed the door to to the vault.

The first thing Kendra noticed that had changed since their previous visit was that the boulder blocking the entrance had been replaced with a pair of large, ash doors. She also saw that the entire chess table, which had contained a vital clue, was missing as well.

"Looks like they did a bit of renovating," said Warren, as Bright conjured up some food for the group to eat. After they finished, Bright whisked away the group's waste, and they all walked up to the doors. Dangling from each of the doors was an iron handle at least the size of a tire.

Raxtus grabbed one of the door handles and pulled the door forward, opening up the entrance to Labrador Labyrinth.


	12. Take Two

**Chapter 12 – Take Two**

As soon as Kendra, Warren, Bright and Raxtus set foot through the doors to Labrador Labyrinth, they were immediately greeted by a deep, steep staircase made out of individual stones. The walls and ceiling had been formed out of soil and tree roots.

"Reminds me of when we first entered Vertigo Volcano," noted Kendra, who was reminded of the long staircase leading downwards to the volcanic vault in Hawaii.

"I wish we _were_ going through Vertigo Volcano," commented Warren as the group began walking down the stairs. "Once you've dealt with the heat, it's not so bad. Besides, we know the way through."

"I almost fell to my death there," said Kendra. "It's not entirely a place I'd like to revisit."

"At least there were no monsters to contend with. Not that I don't mind a good fight."

"Did Agad say anything about what we might have to deal with in here?" asked Raxtus.

"No, unfortunately," replied Warren. "The crew that was hired to restore this vault opted to withhold that information from him for security purposes."

Before long, the group reached the bottom of the stairs. Before them was a long, narrow hallway, in the middle of which was something that looked like a swaying post.

"What is that thing?" asked Kendra, as they approached the peculiar object in question. As they got closer, they saw that it appeared to be some sort of thorny vine dangling from the ceiling.

"It's just a loose root," said Raxtus. "Allow me."

Raxtus reached out with one of his claws and grabbed the vine, which in turned wrapped itself around his arm.

"Ow!' cried Raxtus, trying to pull himself away. "I can't get it off! It's hurting me!"

Warren quickly drew his sword and slashed at the plant, but was unable to cleave it at all.

"It's no good!" exclaimed Warren. "I can't break it!"

Bright aimed her hand at the vine and shot a blast of icy mist at the plant. Within seconds, the upper portion of the vine was frozen solid.

"Got it!" shouted Raxtus, finally pulling his claw away from the plant. "Thanks, Bright."

"Are you okay, Raxtus?" asked Kendra.

"My healing properties should mend my wound quickly," said Raxtus, admiring the gash on his wrist where the vine had wrapped itself around. "That thing felt like it was trying to sap my strength."

The vine then shattered the ice it had been frozen in, and began swaying around again.

"Lousy evergreens," commented Warren.

"How are we supposed to get past it?" asked Kendra.

"I could teleport us past it," said Bright. "But it'd be better if I can save my magic for an actual emergency."

"I'd settle for some herbicide," said Warren. "Or a weed whacker."

"This passage is too narrow for us to sneak around it," said Kendra. "And it wouldn't surprise me if the vine could extend itself. Raxtus, you said it was trying to drain your strength?"

"Yeah, like it was a vampire."

"Maybe we can poison it," said Kendra.

"What I said," noted Warren. "Can you whip up some venom, Bright?"

"Not really my style," replied Bright, "but here goes."

Bright aimed her hands at the vine and magically spawned a glop of white liquid, which flew onto vine. The vine began shaking furiously, until it slowed down, shrivelled up, and appeared to be dead. Warren then held out his sword and the vine with the tip of his blade, causing it to partially crumble.

"Nice going, Bright," said Kendra, as the group passed by the defeated vine.

"I just hope there aren't more of those things," said Warren.

"Me too," said Bright. "I'm better suited for casting white magic over black."

At the end of the hallway, the group reached an path that branched out in three directions.

"Which way do we go?" asked Raxtus.

"Wish I knew," said Warren. "This place _is_ a labyrinth,"

"I propose that we split up," said Bright. "We'll each explore a different path, then report our findings. If you find another intersection, turn back so you don't get lost."

"I'll go with Kendra," said Raxtus, as the two of them proceeded down the hallway to the right, while Warren and Bright headed down the other two paths.

The path Kendra and Raxtus took twisted and turned for roughly a minute, until they approached a section that was crawling with many more of that same prickly vine they had encountered earlier.

"There's dozens of them!" said Kendra.

"We're not passing this. Not without Bright."

Kendra and Raxtus then returned to the intersection, just as Bright and Warren came back from their paths.

"There's a whole lot of those vines from earlier down my pathway," said Warren.

"Same here," said Bright, nodding in response, "More than I would care to deal with."

"Our finding wouldn't surprise you guys," said Kendra.

"I can't just toss venom around," said Bright. "Especially for all three possible paths."

"Wait a second," said Kendra. "Warren's the only one of us who susceptible to distractor spells and the like. Maybe we should check down his pathway for ourselves."

"Worth a try," said Bright, as they proceeded down the left passageway. Similar to the right passageway, they eventually reached a section that was guarded by dozen of vines. However, they did not appear to be moving at all."

"Warren, are the vines alive?" asked Bright.

"Uh, yeah."

"Distractor spell," said Bright. "These vines are fake. They're harmless."

Bright walked up to the vines, which did not react to her presence. She then proceeded to touch one, and pushed it aside as if it were a beaded drape.

"Still looks like they're moving," said Warren, as he followed Bright through the vines. "But these thorns don't even feel sharp."

Kendra and Raxtus then forged through the vines themselves, and the group continued down the path. At the end of the path was a shaft with a ladder leading downwards. Warren floated down using his power that Clover bestowed upon him, while Kendra climbed down after him.

"Is that permanent?" asked Kendra, once she reached the bottom,

"Guess so. Not that I'm complaining."

Bright then joined them at the bottom, followed by Raxtus, who was just small enough to fit through the shaft. The group then proceed down the next path, but then noticed something weird on the floor.

"Snakes!" shrieked Kendra, realizing that the floor was crawling with literally hundreds of small, green snakes.

"These things don't seem very aggressive," said Warren, shaking off a snake that was crawling up his leg. Now we know how Indy must've felt."

"They're everywhere!" said Kendra, trying to keep several snakes from crawling up her legs by dancing around on the spot.

"They can't grab you up here," said Warren, pulling Kendra into the air, away from the snakes.

Bright rose into the air, while Raxtus shifted into his fairy form and did the same as well.

"I can't fly in here as a dragon," said Raxtus, "so this'll have to do."

The group then flew through the passage together, turning down several passages and intersections, passing over possibly thousands of identical-looking snakes. After running into a few dead ends, they reach a section that had no snakes, which lead to another ladder leading to a lower level.

"Guess this is the end of the snakes," said Warren, as he floated down the shaft, while Kendra and the others followed him down.

This next floor seemed deserted compared to the previous one. However, it was no less of a maze. The group chose to stick together, but didn't have the slightest clue as to where they should go, as they didn't even encounter any dead ends to indicate they were going the wrong way.

"At least we don't have to deal with those stupid snakes," said Raxtus, a dragon once again.

Warren then peaked around a corner, then pulled his head back, looking as through he had just seen a ghost. "Oh yes we do! Run!"

Just then, a enormous snake, one that could barely fit inside the passageways, barrelled around the corner. It sensed the presence of the four heroes and hissed at them.

"Let's get out of here!" screamed Kendra, as the group ran down the passageway, with the huge snake in hot pursuit.

"That thing must be like two-hundred feet long!" gasped Warren, as they ran past another corner.

"How do we stop it?" asked Kendra.

"We can't!" exclaimed Bright.

Kendra looked back at the snake. Its mouth was wide open, and it appeared to be starving. Unable to think of any ideas while being chased, the group kept running around the maze, until they reached what appeared to be the path to the next floor.

Looking back, Kendra saw that the snake lost interest in the group, and turned to slither down another path.

"Guess that thing was intended to guard only that particular area," said Warren. "Like the nightmares of Pileous Palace. Guess there were no dead ends in that area so that we wouldn't truly be trapped.

The group then made their way down to the next level, which appeared to be full of cobwebs. As they explored this next level, they were unable to discover anything of interest. Just that it was infested with cobwebs and the tiny spiders that had spun them.

"I'm just glad that there's not an overabundance of spiders," said Bright, watching as a spider walked across a web.

"These spiders are harmless," said Warren. "They eat little insects, no doubt. Bet they're not even poisonous."

The group ventured through the relatively harmless maze, looking for the path down to the next level. After exploring for roughly ten minutes, they eventually found it.

"That floor wasn't so bad," said Warren. "Maybe we got lucky and just avoided any real dangers it housed."

"You'd think there'd have been more spiders than there were snakes," said Kendra, as she began to climb down the ladder.

"There could've been a billion," said Warren, floating down after Kendra. "Not that it would've made any difference."

"I never cared for spiders," said Kendra, setting foot upon the next floor. "But after those demons at Zzyzx, they don't seem so bad."

The group then proceeded down the next passageway, which lead not to another maze, but to a vast, open room. Foliage and rocks lined the ceiling, floor and walls, which must've been a good one-hundred feet high.

"What is this place?" asked Kendra.

"Maybe we have to find the next exit," said Raxtus.

"I've got a bad feeling..." said Warren.

The group then noticed something crawling out of a large hole in the center of the room. It appeared to be a humongous, hairy black spider, that had to be the size of a city bus. Thick purple stripes lined its eight legs. It gazed upon the group with all eight of its vibrant, green eyes. Aside from its size, what struck Kendra as unusual were the many curved horns growing out of the spider's head.

"What is that thing?" asked Kendra.

"It's a tyrantula," said Warren cautiously. "Look out!"

The tyrantula bent the rear of its abdomen over its thorax and shot a string of silk that was as thick as a cable, towards the group, who all barely managed to dodge it.

"I'll deal with this thing," said Warren, as he leapt into the air and flew onto the tyrantula's abdomen. He then held aloft his sword and attempted to stab the giant arachnid, but could not penetrate its hide in any way.

"It's no good!" called Warren, as the tyrantula wildly shook its abdomen and tossed him aside.

The tyrantula then aimed its spinneret towards the group and shot out more silk, which hit Bright and pinned her to the ground.

"Get up!" cried Kendra, as she bent down next to Bright.

"Don't touch the silk!" said Bright. "It's extremely sticky and nigh unbreakable!"

The tryrantula crawled over towards Bright and Kendra, but Warren and Raxtus stopped in front of it, hovering in midair. The tyrantula directed its attention at the two fliers, fixing its many bulging eyes upon them.

"Those eyes are creeping me out," said Warren.

"If we don't do something, it's gonna go after Bright and Kendra" noted Raxtus.

"Can't you escape?" asked Kendra, looking down at Bright.

"I can't teleport myself while I'm stuck to the silk, and transforming myself won't help either!"

Warren then hurled his sword at the tyrantula like a javelin, and managed to stab the beast directly in one of its eyes.

"I think you made it mad," said Raxtus, as the tyrantula furiously began spraying silk in many directions, before opting to pursue Warren, his sword still wedge in its eye.

Warren and Raxtus began flying around in circles, dodging the tyrantula's attempts to hit them with its silk.

"How do we stop this thing?" asked Raxtus, barely avoiding another stream of silk in mid-flight. "It's too strong!"

"Not as strong as all this webbing," noted Warren.

Kendra watched in despair at Warren and Raxtus did everything in their power to avoid the tyrantula's fury. She then thought about the situation, and realized something due to Raxtus and Warren's comments.

"I've got an idea!" she said. "You think this silk is too strong for even the tyrantula to break?"

"No doubt," replied Warren. "That thing is tough, but it isn't overly powerful for its size."

"Maybe you can trick it into tying the silk around its legs. Then it wouldn't be able to stand up!"

"Yeah, but it's not gonna just spin silk around its legs!" noted Raxtus.

"Then we'll do it ourselves," said Warren, still dodging the tyrantula's silk stream. By now the room had been decorated in dozens of silk cables hanging from the walls and ceiling. "I mean, it was nice enough to provide us with all this silk in the first place."

"How do we touch the silk without getting stuck ourselves?" asked Raxtus.

"Leave that to me," said Bright, prompting Warren and Raxtus to fly down to where she was trapped. Unable to move her hands, she blinked at both Warren and Raxtus. Suddenly, the two of them appeared to be wearing thick pairs of gloves that were suited to fit their hands, or in Raxtus' case, claws.

Warren and Raxtus flew off again. Kendra watched as Warren pulled out a vial and chugged it down on the spot. Warren then grabbed a loose cable of silk and picked it up off the ground. Kendra then realized that it must have been one of Tanu's strength potions, given that the silk was heavier than it looked.

"Grab the other end, Raxtus!" cried Warren, as Raxtus did just that, They then carried the silk over to the tyrantula and flew around its body in opposite directions, wrapping the silk around its legs.

"Gotta tighten it good!" said Warren, once they had successfully wrapped the silk around the tyrantula's eight legs, until they were pressed together. Unable to remain standing up, the tyrantula collapsed. It tried to squirm and break free from its own silk, but was entirely unsuccessful.

"This stuff's so sticky, we don't even need to tie a knot," said Raxtus. But before the group could celebrate, the fallen tyrantula attempted to shoot more silk at the group. Warren then flew over to another loose thread, and prepared a lasso out of it. He then tossed the silk around the tyrantula's abdomen, then rung the rest of it around its tied up legs, overlapping the first thread.

The tyrantula was now not only nearly immobilized, but it could not produce silk properly with its spinneret aiming point blank at its own legs.

"Did we, beat it?" asked Raxtus, noting that the tyrantula was still very well alive.

"Not entirely," said Warren. "You saw how tough that thing's hide was when I stabbed it with my sword."

"It's hide might've been tough, but its eyes weren't," said Kendra. "I've got an idea."

Kendra scurried over to the fallen tyrantula, and stopped in front of its many eyes. She quickly located Warren's sword, which was still stuck in one of its eyes, and pull it out. The blade of the sword was coated in a peculiar clear liquid, but Kendra then remembered that spiders had colorless blood.

Kendra then held back Warren's sword, and stabbed it into another one of the tyrantula's eyes, even deeper than the first one had gone. She stuck it in as possible, causing the monster to wince in agony, and began swirling it around within the socket.

After pulling the sword out of the tyrantula's head, Kendra looked up at the giant spider, and came to the conclusion that it was no longer moving.

"You killed it," said Bright. "Nice going."

Kendra looked back and saw that Bright was now standing up, no longer stuck in the silk.

"How'd you get out?" asked Kendra.

"Well, I realized that spiders never seem to get stuck in their own webs, so I turned myself into a spider and crawled out."

"A fairy-spider," said Warren. "That's the second-weirdest thing I'd ever heard of."

"So, what do we do now?" asked Raxtus. "This room wasn't even a maze like the previous floors."

"Well, there was that hole that the tyrantula came out of," said Kendra, leading the group over to the aforementioned hole. Looking down the hole, they saw that it was about twenty-feet deep, with no proper way for someone to climb down, or up.

Warren floated down into the hole, the bottom of which was covered in giant spider webs. He began ripping the webs out of place, then came up holding something within his gloved hands.

"What is it?" asked Raxtus.

"Behold," said Warren, presenting his finding, "the Translocator."


	13. Exploration

**Chapter 13 – Exploration**

Kendra, Bright and Raxtus all stared in awe at the Translocator that Warren was holding in his hands.

"Is that really it?" asked Raxtus, his lower jaw drooping downwards.

"Yup," said Kendra proudly, having already identified the device. "This is it."

"How does it work, exactly?" asked Bright.

"It's simple really," said Warren. "You see how the design of the Translocator is made up of three basic sections? Well, one person just has to twist the two outer sections so that the jewels encrusted on them line up with the middle section. Once that's done, the user grabs the middle section and merely thinks of anyplace they've ever been to in the past, and they're instantly transported there, along with up to two other beings."

"It's easier than it sounds," said Kendra. "Care to demonstrate, Warren?"

"Wait," said Raxtus. "There's four of us."

"One of us can come back for the fourth after making a trip," said Warren. "It's a strategy we used back when the Translocator was first obtained."

"I can just go to my fairy guardian dimension," said Bright. "It goes where she goes."

"Even better," said Warren, as Bright disappeared in a flash of mulitcolored light. He then twisted the two ends of the Translocator, and held on to the center section. "Grab hold, you two."

"Do it just hold one end?" asked Raxtus.

"That's all it takes," said Warren, as Kendra grabbed one end in her hand. As she did, she could feel energy pouring through her body and into the artifact, reminding her that her power had no doubt been drained out before the Translocator was hidden again.

"Okay," said Raxtus, placing his index finger and thumb on the other end. Warren then clenched the Translocator tightly, and they experienced that all-too-familiar feeling of her body imploding into itself, before the front yard back at Fablehaven replaced the scenery of the tyrantula's lair.

"We're back?" asked Raxtus, as he let go of the Translocator and looked around at his surroundings.

"It's the only way to travel," said Warren.

"Bright," said Kendra, "you can come out, now."

"Nice trick," said Bright, looking around after making her appearance.

"You're back?" asked Dale, walking up to the group from Viola's barn.

"We may have set a new record," said Warren, holding up the Translocator. "And we got what we came for too,"

"Well done," said Dale with a smile. "The Sorensons are inside. They'll be pleased to hear the good news!"

Kendra, Warren and Bright all followed Dale into the house, where they were greeted by Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson, as well as Grandpa and Grandma.

"You did it!" said Grandpa, admiring the recovered Translocator.

"Tell us, how did you fare in Labrador Labyrinth?" asked Grandma.

"Wasn't so bad," said Warren. "The tyrantula at the end was a nuisance, but it provided us with the silk we needed to trounce it."

"You weren't very fond of that giant snake, though," noted Bright.

"I get the feeling that it was _supposed_ to chase us," said Warren. "We did the right thing by running."

"Please," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Let's sit down to some tea and you can tell us everything. It'll be ready in a few minutes."

Kendra, Warren and Bright all washed up and changed into fresh clothes in time for tea, then sat down at the dinning room table with the rest of the family. Lance sat at the end of the table, opting to be alone. The adventure still fresh in their minds, they were able to narrate their experience near-perfectly.

"Tyrantulas are incredibly dangerous creatures," said Grandpa. "I know that you were able to stab that one through its eyes, but to even have such an opportunity without getting caught in its silk is quite a feat.

"So what do we do now that we've got the Translocator?" asked Kendra. "Couldn't we just travel to Living Mirage and see the Sphinx ourselves?"

"I'd rather leave that to the other group," said Grandpa. "Even if it takes longer. Besides, the Translocator can aid us in other ways. However, we need to keep the fact that we have it a secret from the Society at all costs. That means you can't just use it to hop from place to place, and you should must avoid using it to make a clean getaway. The Society is very clever, and will likely figure out what's up."

"Now that we have the Translocator, perhaps we can try and travel to the Fairy Kingdom next," said Bright.

"That is what I hoped for," said Grandpa.

Afterwards, the group headed outside, where Raxtus met up with them.

"I wonder if we even need Raxtus for this," said Kendra. "Nothing personal, but even though we can work around the three person limit of the Translocator, we don't know what this mission will actually require in terms of skill."

"We can always come back for you anyway," said Warren.

"I guess," said Raxtus. "I'm here if you need me."

"So what's the plan, anyway?" asked Bright.

/

"That's something I'm not entirely sure of," said Grandpa. "All I can say is, travel to the Fairy Kingdom and find out what's going on on the other side. Mind you, given our assumptions, what you may find might not be very, pleasant."

"We_ have_ to know," said Kendra.

"Any time you're ready," said Warren, handing the Translocator to Bright.

"So I just twist the jewels into alignment and think of where I wish to go?" asked Bright.

"You got it," replied Warren.

Bright nodded and twisted the Translocator, then kept hold of the center section, while Kendra and Warren grabbed the sides.

"Nothing's happening," said Kendra, who felt rather confused.

"You are thinking of the Fairy Kingdom, aren't you?" said Warren.

"Course I am," said Bright. "You implied that using the Translocator wasn't that difficult."

"Try something easy," said Kendra. "Like my living room."

Bright then closed her eyes, and instantaneously, the trio had been transported no more than twenty feet into the living room.

"You're doing it right," said Warren, as they walked back outside.

"What's going on?" asked Grandma, who was standing on the porch.

"I was testing the Translocator," said Bright. "It seems to work all right, but it's not letting me reach the Fairy Kingdom."

"I know that Oblivion sealed the barrier between our dimension and the Fairy Kingdom," said Kendra, but is his enchantment really that powerful that it can stop the Translocator?"

"I'm going to say yes," commented Warren.

"You think maybe they could access the Fairy Kingdom through another dimension?" asked Lance, who had joined up with the group.

"That _could_ work," said Warren, "but we don't know the technicalities of Oblivion's power."

"Wish I did," said Lance. "I just remember hearing that the spell was to block all transportation in and out of the Fairy Kingdom."

"And that's something that requires the use of a Fairy Shrine on its own," added Bright. "But even the Translocator can't even bypass it. Are you sure it can travel through dimensions? That sort of thing is hard to accomplish."

"Of course it can," replied Warren. "The Knights used it to rescue me from the knapsack, remember?"

"And the knapsack was in its own dimension," added Kendra.

"Wait a minute," said Warren. "Would it be possible to transport ourselves into the knapsack, then use that point as a stepping stone to reach the Fairy Kingdom?"

"Perhaps," said Grandpa, scratching his head. "Mind you, who's to say that you'll be able to bypass the barrier even from in there?"

"It's worth a try," said Warren. "Besides, there's always the vents. Budba and I never did manage to figure out where they lead, since one would have to be the size of a cat to slip through. If it's in this dimension or elsewhere is anybody's guess.

Kendra cleared her throat. "You're forgetting one thing. Navarog. He's still in there, remember?"

"You're right," said Warren disappointment. "Not only did Seth and I banish him to the knapsack _forever_, but Navarog himself wished to live_ forever_."

"So he's still in there, alive and well?" asked Lance.

"Alive, yes," answered Kendra. "Hopefully not well."

"But, Seth wished for Navarog to be powerless, and incapable of hurting anyone," said Warren. "He's essentially harmless."

"I do not like the idea of running into Navarog again," said Grandpa. "However, passing through the knapsack may in fact be the only way around this obstacle."

"What's Navarog going to do, anyway?" asked Lance. "You said he was powerless."

"We'll just pop in to the knapsack, and immediately warp from there to the Fairy Kingdom," said Warren. "If we're fast enough, Navarog might not even realize what's going on."

"If Navarog were to somehow get a hold of the Translocator, couldn't he use it to escape?" asked Lance.

"Probably not," said Warren. "The wish that Seth and I made binds Navarog to the confinement of the knapsack for eternity. In theory, the Translocator wouldn't be able to help him."

Kendra looked around, a fearful expression gleaming in her eyes. "Well, here goes nothing."

Kendra then twisted the Translocator and held on to the middle part, while Warren and Bright grabbed the outer ends. Kendra imagined the inside of the knapsack, and felt as her body folded into itself.

When Kendra and the others reappeared, Kendra could feel herself in a dank room that felt much smaller and more narrow in height than the actual knapsack. Looking down, she could see that she was kneeling upon a hard, lumpy and black surface. The group had indeed warped to inside the knapsack, but squished inside was Navarog, whose massive, curled up body body took up almost the entire volume of the room, save for roughly five feet at the top.

"What's going on?" boomed Navarog, his voice overpowering the small room.

Kendra twisted the ends of the Translocator, and prepared to travel to the Fairy Kingdom. She had been there once in the past, but her vision of the place wasn't coming into reality. "It doesn't work," she whispered. The Fairy Kingdom is blocked off from this point too!"

"I hear voices," said Navarog, entire body starting to rumble. "Who's on my back?"

Warren looked around, then pointed to a small hole in one of the walls that was up against the ceiling. "That's a vent Bubda tried to slip through," he whispered. "Let's see where it leads."

The group then trotted across Navarog's back towards the open vent..

"What are you doing?" asked Navarog. "I can't see you! ANSWER ME!"

Bright shrunk down to her smaller size and flew into the open vent, and Kendra passed her the Translocator. Bright then used her magic on Kendra, causing her to shrink down to her size, as well as float into the vent. Lastly, Bright shrunk Warren and he too flew into the vent.

"YOU!" snarled Navarog, poking his menacing face up towards the vent. "What are you doing here? Get me out of here!"

"We wouldn't if we could," said Warren, crossing his arms.

"I'll get you!" said Navarog, taking in a deep breath, before failing to exhale but a single cinder into the vent. "BLAST IT!"

"You're never going to get out of there," said Kendra. "Deal with it."

"I've been stuck in this room for ages!" blurted Navarog.

"Only a month or so," said Warren.

"A month?" gasped Navarog. "I'm trapped here forever! I've been so... furious!"

"Serves you right," said Warren. "Bye Navarog."

Kendra, Bright and Warren turned and and proceeded with walking down the hallway-like vent.

"GET BACK HERE!" blared Navarog. "I COMMAND YOU TO DO SO!"

"Shut up, Navarog," huffed Bright, as the group continued down the vent, rolling the Translocator along a large log.

Kendra tried to think about where the vent was talking them, but her thoughts were being blocked out by Navarog's yelling. A rectangular stone passageway, the vent twisted and turned in a multitude of directions, and went on for quite some time, to the point where they could no longer hear Navarog's booming voice.

"I think I could've done without that little rendezvous," said Warren, as the group turned another corner. At the end of this next _hallway_ of the ventilation system stood a grate with light pouring through it.

"We made it!" gasped Kendra, as she stepped away from the Translocator and dashed over to the vent.

"So what is this place?" asked Warren, as he followed Kendra towards the grate.

Kendra gazed between two bars of the grate and saw what appeared to be a flower-filled meadow within a valley "It's beautiful. But what is it?"

"It's the Fairy Kingdom!" shouted Bright. "We made it! But, something isn't right. Fairies come to this meadow often. Wouldn't they notice this vent?"

"I'm not complaining," said Warren. "Let's just get through this grate and pass through!"

"Allow me," said Bright, as she expelled her magic on the bars, causing them to vanish. The trio then rolled the the Translocator out of the vent, and Bright used her power to kept themselves and the artifact afloat.

Kendra turned back and observed the vent. It appeared to be floating in midair, not connected to the rest of the scenery, almost as if it were a portal.

"Very odd," said Bright, as she used her magic to restore the group to their normal heights, before placing them down on the ground.

"So this is the Fairy Kingdom?" asked Warren. "It's breathtaking."

"Whereabouts are we?" asked Kendra.

"A rather undeveloped sector," replied Bright. "It's full of beauty, but since we've been restoring the Kingdom from the old Zzyzx, there isn't much here at the moment."

"Wait a minute," said Warren. "Does that mean that the knapsack used to be connected to Zzyzx of all places?"

"It would make more sense for the knapsack to link to the Fairy Kingdom," said Kendra. "Given that the place is relatively impervious to outside interference, and would be a safe area to ventilate air from the knapsack."

"Perhaps it is always connected to the Fairy Kingdom," said Bright. "Even when the Fairy Kingdom changes."

"So where do we go from here?" asked Kendra.

"I know where we are," said Bright. "Not far from the Royal Castle. Follow me!"

Bright grabbed Kendra by her arm, then flew off into the air, with Warren following close behind. Kendra could feel that Bright was using her power to keep her afloat, lest she be left dangling from Bright's hand. They flew over several meadows and gardens, most of which were filled with streams, bridges, waterfalls and knolls. Eventually, what appeared to be a small town came into view, at the far end of which stood a large, shimmering castle.

"Welcome to my home," said Bright proudly, as they soared downwards towards the town. As soon as they landed, several small fairies flew up to them, all greeting them with cheers.

Looking around, Kendra could see that the houses, though small in size, were large enough for a human to live in. Clearly there had to be more than just the diminutive fairies living here.

"Kendra?" asked a familiar voice. "Bright? Warren?"

The group turned their heads towards the nearby castle, from which Bracken was dashing towards the group.

"Bracken!" cried Kendra, as she threw her arms around her unicorn friend. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"Hey, little sis," said Bracken, as he proceeded to hug Bright. "We've missed ya! And Warren, thank goodness you're all here," he said, shaking Warren's hand.

"What is going on?" asked Bright.

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Bracken. "The barrier between our worlds has been rendered impenetrable. How'd you guys even get here? I see Warren's got the Translocator. Good thinking."

"It took more than that, though," noted Warren.

"We've got questions for you too!" exclaimed Bright. "Like, why haven't you just formed the Omega Star to fix the problem."

Bracken frowned, then let out a deep breath. "I guess you really are unaware of how bad things have truly gotten. Come with me, I'll take you to see mother."

Bracken led the group towards the castle, passing through a rather stunning garden filled with fountains and fauna all colors of the rainbow. They then walked over a large, cobblestone bridge and passed by several full-sized fairy guards, until they entered the castle.

Upon closer inspection, the walls and ceiling of the castle appeared to be made out of some sort of opaque diamond. However, Kendra did not have time to stand around and admire them, as Bracken led the group through the brilliant castle, up a staircase, down another hallway, and into another room.

At the far end of the vast room, sitting upon her throne, was none other than the Fairy Queen. "Bright!" she exclaimed, standing up from her throne. Kendra! And are you the one they call Warren?"

"Y-y-yes," said Warren nervously. He usually wasn't like this, but even Warren was astounded to see the Fairy Queen in person for the first time.

"I'm so glad you're all right, Bright," said the Fairy Queen, giving Bright a solid hug. "Is that the Translocator you used to get here?"

"Yes and no," said Bright. "Bracken brought us here to talk."

"And talk we shall," said the Fairy Queen, as she waved her arms, causing several plush, silky couches to appear next to where everyone was standing. "Please, take a seat. I can tell that we all have some explaining to do."


	14. Fairy Tales

**Chapter 14 – Fairy Tales**

Kendra, Warren, Bright, Bracken and the Fairy Queen all sat down in the seats that had magically appeared in the center of the room. Plopping her body onto a plush, purple seat, Kendra felt as though she was sitting atop a cloud.

"Where should I start?" began the Fairy Queen. "It all happened so suddenly, just a few days ago. The five keepers were all placed under some strange, powerful spell."

"Who are the five keepers?" asked Kendra.

"The keepers are the designated protectors of the instruments of eternal power," said Bracken. "They are the only beings capable of physically removing the instruments of eternal power from their places of protection."

"What kind of spell?" asked Warren.

"Some sort of dark magic," replied the Fairy Queen. "All five keepers are under the spell, and have all been rendered completely immobilized. We've tried everything to undo the spell, but nothing seems to work."

"And because the keepers are in this state, is is impossible for anyone else to remove the instruments of eternal power from their current positions," added Bracken.

"What kind of state are we talking about?" asked Bright cautiously. "Are they, okay?"

"We hope so," said Bracken, placing his hands atop Bright's. "But we don't know what to do about this situation."

"My sisters..." said Bright. "Mom, what can..."

"We're trying to figure that out, Bright," said the Fairy Queen.

"Are your sisters keepers?" asked Warren.

Bracken nodded. "Yes. Brillia, Bravette and Brook. The other two keepers are Tiara and Opal."

"So, what happened was that one day, the five keepers just all became immobilized?" asked Kendra.

"Yes, but we're unsure as to why," said the Fairy Queen.

"We think we know why," said Warren. "It was Oblivion, a wizard accomplice of the Society of the Evening Star."

"What does Oblivion look like?" asked Bracken.

"Well, I've never seen his body. He seems to be invisible. But, he does wear a black cloak most of the time."

"You think maybe Oblivion made his entire body invisible, travelled to the fairy kingdom and froze the keepers unnoticed?" asked Warren.

"It seems unlikely," said the Fairy Queen. "For one thing, travel to the Fairy Kingdom is near impossible without using a designated shrine, which bring us to another problem we've been facing."

"The barrier?" asked Kendra. "We can't get past it either."

"But you used the Translocator," said Bracken.

"Not entirely," said Warren. "We were unable to reach the Fairy Kingdom with it. However, we were able to travel to the knapsack and pass through the vent, which brought us here."

"It doesn't seem too farfetched," said Bracken. "We've suspected that ancient fairies designed extra-dimensional storage facilities such as that knapsack. Venting the room to the Fairy Kingdom wouldn't haven been implausible."

"Wasn't Navarog banished to the knapsack?" asked the Fairy Queen.

Warren laughed. "Yup. Don't think he was expecting us."

"So, what we don't know," began Kendra, "is how Oblivion could've gotten here, ran around undetected, then sealed this dimension in a shield of sorts."

"How power do you suppose Oblivion is?" asked the Fairy Queen.

"Quite," replied Warren. "He was described as being in a league similar to Merlin."

"Wizards _are _powerful," said the Fairy Queen. "But I never would've imagined that one would privately penetrate the dimensional barrier on their own accord, neutralize the five keepers so easily, then sealed the barrier behind him."

"Could we see the keepers?" asked Bright. "I'm worried about my sisters."

"We can," said the Fairy Queen. "But I don't know what we can do. Since she's already at home in the castle, I can take you to see Brillia in the tower."

"Is she... okay?" asked Bright, cupping her hands together.

Bracken sighed. "It's hard to say. I'd rather we'd just show you."

The others nodded, and were then led out of the room by Bracken and the Fairy Queen. They proceeded through the fantastic castle, then made their way up to a crystal door guarded by a full-sized fairy with scarlet red hair and purple skin.

"Enter," said the fairy, instinctively giving clearance to the Fairy Queen. She opened the door, and revealed a long, winding staircase. After climbing upwards for about a minute, they arrived at the top and passed through another small door.

Upon entering this next room, the first thing Kendra laid eyes upon was humanoid figure that was standing in the middle of the room. It appeared to be a fairy, shielding her face with her arms. However, her entire motionless body was emitting a harsh, black glow.

"Brillia," gasped Bright, who walked over to her sister and examined her. "Can I touch her?"

"The damage is done," replied the Fairy Queen solemnly. "Touching her will not yield any further consequences."

Kendra and Warren stepped over to Brillia and took a good, solid look at her. As her facial features were hard to make out, and because she had never seen what Brillia normally looked like, Kendra was uncertain of any similarities between her and her mother, Bracken and Bright. All that Kendra could focus on was the look of horror in Brillia's face, which she had been displaying the moment that Oblivion magically froze her.

"Any idea how Oblivion got in here?" asked Warren.

"We're guessing stealth of some sort," replied Bracken. "But Oblivion must've been heavily prepared. These places of protection are guarded by distractor spells that repel outsiders. You and Kendra have only come this far due to our ongoing supervision. Our only other assumption was that the effect of the spells were intentionally delayed, so that Oblivion could cast them whilst the keepers were off duty."

"Are they all like this?" asked Bright. The Fairy Queen replied with a melancholic nod.

Kendra glanced around and was quickly drawn to a pedestal in the center of the room, which she would've certainly noticed had Brillia not been standing there. Feeling a natrual compulsion to check it out, Kendra walked over to the pedestal.

"And that brings us to our other concern," said the Fairy Queen, just as Kendra got a glimpse as to what the pedestal was all about.

Carved into the top of the pedestal was a large, rounded grove, almost like a bathroom sink. Inside the groove was what appeared to be... one of the instruments of eternal power! Making up one fifth of the Omega Star, Kendra immediately identified this instrument as the Accelerizer, due to the blue gemstone it housed.

"Why is the Accelerizer just sitting there?" asked Kendra.

"See for yourself," said the Fairy Queen. "Go on, try to do something with it."

Kendra reached her hands into the groove and lay them upon the Accelerizer. She wrapped her fingers along the edges of the instrument and attempted to move it, but no dice. Although it did not appear to be held down physically, it felt as through the Accelerizer had been welded to the pedestal. It wouldn't budge.

"As a security precaution, he artifacts are irremovable from these spots, nor can they be activated, except by the willing hands of their designated keepers," said Bracken. "It is impossible for any else to remove them otherwise. It would also stop someone from manipulating a keeper into removing an instrument against their will.

"So the instruments can only be removed by their keepers?" asked Warren. "What do you do if a keeper is unavailable during a crisis or something, or if one were to die somehow?"

"Should something like that happen to a keeper, the instrument would select a new keeper, thus preventing it from falling into unworthy hands. But we never did prepare ourselves for... this."

"So if someone were to say, use the Disapirit's power to remove it from its pedestal..." began Warren.

"That wouldn't work," said Bracken, "because only it's designated keeper, Opal, has authorization to activate or move it from its resting spot

"Can you not appoint new keepers?" asked Bright. "Or at least revoke the existing ones of their duties for time being?"

"Legally, I cannot," said the Fairy Queen. "I gave my word to entrust the instruments of eternal power to their keepers until their demise or if they were to be declared legally missing for over an entire month. It is impossible for me to properly withdraw their duty when they are neither declared missing nor dead."

"So because he couldn't take the instruments for himself, he immobilized the keepers," said Bright. "Thus preventing them, or anyone for that matter, from collecting the five instruments and forming the Omega Star."

"And he didn't kill anyone, because he would've then had to have gone on a possibly endless killing spree," noted Warren.

"So while you fairies are dealing with the problems in your world, Oblivion is back in our world, doing whatever it is he needs to do to carry out his plan," said Kendra.

"And the others?" asked Bright, eyeing her eldest sister.

"Just as Brillia here appears," said the Fairy Queen. Nothing we've tried can undo Oblivion's magic."

"Well, all is not lost," said Kendra. "We do have the Translocator in our possession now. If we could pinpoint Oblivion, we could travel to him and hopefully get him to cooperate with us, no matter what it takes."

Bracken nodded. "Yes, but do you know where Oblivion even is?"

"Well, no," answered Warren. "But Seth, Tanu, Clover and Jet are on their way to try and pry that information from the Sphinx."

"They'd best be careful," said the Fairy Queen. "Although I trust that they know what they're doing. Who is Jet, if I may ask?"

"That phoenix from Rio Branco," replied Kendra. "Back when we had the Omega Star, I wished for it to inherit the mind of the shuttle that took us to Silicon Station."

"I see," said the Fairy Queen, nodding in agreement.

"Well," began Bright, "since we _do_ have the Translocator, you fairies do have the option of bypassing the barrier and travelling into the mortal realm.

"True," said Bracken. "But the fact is, we're needed on this end. We're hoping to find a way to undo Oblivion's magic somehow."

"Do you have anything that might help us stop Oblvion?" asked Kendra.

"Not that I can think of," replied the Fairy Queen. "Aides from this realm are already assisting you in yours. I believe that their power, along with your ingenuity, is enough to deal with the Society already. On top of that, the prominent fairies of this realm are already hard at work, or incapacitated."

As the Fairy Queen spoke, everyone turned their heads to look at Brillia.

"However, there may be something I can do to assist you. May I see the Translocator, please?"

Kendra flinched, unsure of what the Fairy Queen actually wanted, then handed her the artifact. "Okay", she said.

Using both hands, the Fairy Queen placed a firm grip on the Translocator, then closed her eyes. The Translocator then glowed in a flash of light, which quickly faded. She then handed it back to Kendra.

"What'd you do?" asked Bright.

"I removed the three traveller limit imposed upon the artifact," replied the Fairy Queen."Now it should be transport any number of people who touch it at the same time. Should save you some back-tracking, I imagine."

"I'm sure it'll come in handy," said Warren, cracking a smile.

"I propose that we test it," said the Fairy Queen. "Can you take Bracken and myself to the point from which you arrived in the Fairy Kingdom?"

Kendra looked over at Warren and Bright, both of whom nodded. "Okay," she said. "Let's try it." She then twisted the sides of the Translocator, and held on to the center section.

"Now, the only person who can hold the center section is the leader," said the Fairy Queen, "said the Fairy Queen, as she placed several fingers upon one side of the Translocator. Once Warren, Bright and Bracken did the same, Kendra prepared to use the Translocator like she normally did. She thought about the area outside the vent, where they had recently entered the Fairy Kingdom.

After feeling the sensation of being translocated, Kendra could see that they were now indeed in the exact spot where they had climbed out of the vent.

"Incredible," said the Fairy Queen, examining the rectangular hole that was floating in midair. "So this is the vent that leads to the knapsack. Connected to our own Fairy world, no matter what plane of existence it should find itself in."

"So if we were to travel down this vent, we'd run into Navarog?" asked Bracken.

"Yup," noted Warren, "there's a monster at the end of this tunnel."

"What I don't get," said Kendra, "is if the dimensional barrier surrounding the Fairy Kingdom has been sealed, then why this connection to the knapsack's dimension still open?"

"Perhaps because this connection is permanently open," answered Bracken. "Just a hunch, though. Though we've been unable to penetrate the barrier that's been set up by Oblivion, this established passage bypasses it."

"So," began Kendra, "at what point does the knapsack's dimension physically branch off from the Fairy Kingdom?"

"Probably anywhere in the vent," said Bracken, placing his hand an inch behind the floating hole. "See how my hand is still in this world, despite the vent appearing to be deeper than where my hand is? This passageway is on a different plane of existence, or in other words, another dimension."

"So, as long as this passage is open, we're free to travel between our world and this one," said Warren.

"Well, you folks are," said the Fairy Queen. "Us Fairies do not have Translocator of our own. We'd have no way of passing through the knapsack and into your world. Besides, we are needed here."

"Understood," said Bright. "Hopefully we'll figure out what to do with Oblivion."

"If there is anything else I may help you with..." said the Fairy Queen.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Bright's head. "Wait! There is something! It's about Seth."

"What's wrong with Seth?" asked Bracken.

"He's resisting our magic! Whenever I use my magic to try and aide Seth, he somehow tends to repel it. Even with Clover's help, our magic tends to backfire. No doubt its down to his shadow charmer status."

"Fairy magic is only so powerful against dark magic," explained the Fairy Queen. "However, enough of it can overcome it. Since your magic alone may not be enough, I have something to help remedy the situation."

The Fairy Queen slowly clapped her hands. When she separated them, she appeared to be holding a sparkling silver bracelet in her palms.

"What is that?" asked Kendra.

"This bracelet, when worn by a dark being, will suppress their power. If Seth wears this, his body shouldn't repel fairy magic so easily. It's not too powerful, as it could potentially weaken Seth physically."

"Hope it helps," said Kendra, accepting the bracelet from the Fairy Queen and slipping it into her pocket.

"This is goodbye for now," said Bracken, giving Kendra a hug, while the Fairy Queen hugged Bright. Kendra then shook the Fairy Queen's hand, while Bracken and Bright hugged each other. Lastly, Warren shook hands with both Bracken and the Fairy Queen.

"Good luck, you three," said the Fairy Queen, as she used her magic to shrink Kendra, Warren and Bright, then levitated them inside the vent, along with the Translocator.

"We'll see you later," said Kendra to Bracken and the Fairy Queen.

"I really wish it was bigger in here," said Warren. "We wouldn't have to shrink every time we wanted to pass through."

As Kendra held the center of the Translocator firmly, Warren and Bright twisted the side pieces into position. Kendra then touched the center of the artifact, and used it to transport the three of them back to the front porch at Fablehaven.

Once they arrived, Bright used her magic to restore the three of them back to their proper sizes. Kendra opened the front door, and was quickly greeted by Grandpa.

"You're back!" he gasped. "What happened?"

Sitting down in Grandpa's study, Kendra, Warren and Bright went on to explain about they met up with Navarog, and managed to pass through the vent of the knapsack into the Fairy Kingdom. They then summarized their whole meeting with the Fairy Queen, Bracken and even Brillia.

"Incredible," said Grandpa. "Finding Oblivion is now going to be a huge priority. Either that, or finding another means to restore the keepers."

"But the Fairies have been trying this whole time!" explained Bright. "And they haven't had any luck."

"Perhaps there is a secret," said Grandpa. "I mean, Oblivion must have a method of undoing all this, or else even he would not be able to obtain the instruments in the end."

"Hopefully the others will learn something about Oblivion, and perhaps more about the Society, from the Sphinx," said Warren.

"You've been through a lot today," said Grandpa. "Why not let the others finish their mission with the Sphinx? We'll be in touch with them soon enough."


	15. Confrontation

**Chapter 15 – Confrontation**

High above the clouds in the night sky, Jet the phoenix was soaring across the dark horizon. Hours had passed since her departure, and seven time zones had been traversed thus far.

Sitting upon Jet's back, between her wings, were Seth and Tanu. Both riders appeared to be exhausted, as did their mode of transportation.

"How can you keep going, Jet?" asked Seth.

"I was originally designed to traverse numerous astronomical units in hours. My wings are experiencing mild pains, but I am experiencing no desire to slow down. I have chosen to stop only when I require refuelling."

"Don't worry, Seth," said Tanu, tapping the boy's shoulder, "we should be arriving at Living Mirage momentarily."

"Just what I want," muttered Seth. "An interview with the Sphinx. Why'd we even have to go on this looong flight? The others were on their mission to retrieve the Translocator, why not get that and just warp here?"

"Though I have complete faith in the others, there was no guaranteed chance of success. Hence why it was necessary to not delay and travel here as soon as we could."

"What time is it?" asked Seth, glancing at his wristwatch. "You told me not to bother with setting time until we got to Living Mirage."

"Local time is ten-twenty-one PM. Although it feels more like mid-afternoon by our standards. When you've travelled as much as I have, your body adjusts to these changes fairly well."

"I believe that I see Living Mirage down in the distance," said Jet. "Am I clear to land?"

"Yes," answered Tanu. "We have all been admitted clearance in the preserve's register."

"I shall begin my descent," said Jet, as she slowly began to soar downwards through the clouds.

Before long, they were flying roughly only a hundred feet above the sands of the desert. Although nothing could be seen at first, a large, ziggurat-like structure seemed to appear out of nowhere not too far ahead.

"What was that?" asked Seth. "That building just popped out of nowhere!"

"An effect of the distractor spell," noted Tanu, as Jet flew over towards the building. She then slowed down, descended and came to a soft landing not too far from the front entrance of the building.

Seth climbed down from Jet's backside and gazed up at the ziggurat. It was enormous. Much larger than when he had previously visited Living Mirage.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Jet," said Tanu. "A worker will be around shortly to tend to your needs."

"You're welcome, Tanu. Thanks."

"Come on, Seth. Let's get inside."

Tanu led Seth over to a large staircase which led up to the front door of the ziggurat. Once there, Tanu pressed a doorbell.

After waiting for a moment, Agad the wizard suddenly appeared outside the door next to Seth and Tanu, startling them.

"Seth!" said Agad. "Tanugatoa! I'm so glad to see you both."

"Jet is waiting over there," said Tanu, pointing off to the side. Please see to it that she is looked after."

"Of course," noted Agad. "You may enter. Is Clover with you two?"

"She is," said Tanu. "Clover, please appear."

In a flash of green light, Clover suddenly appeared, standing between Seth and Tanu.

"I assume that's everyone," said Agad. Seth, Tanu and Clover all nodded. "Please followed me."

Agad clapped his hands, and the stone front doors instantly vanished, revealing a long, narrow hallway, draped with cloth banners. The group of three followed Agad inside, as the doors then reappeared back into place. Agad led the group down the hallway, and brought them into what appeared to be a lounge of sorts, well-furnished with couches, tables, lamps and wall-to-wall bookcases.

"Seth?" asked a familiar, elderly voice. "Is that you?"

A woman rose up from one the chairs. It was Grandma Larsen, dressed in a nightgown.

"Grandma!" exclaimed Seth with a huge smile. He darted over to his maternal grandmother and threw his arms around her in delight. "How are you?"

"We missed you, Seth," said Grandma Larsen, responding by hugging him back. "How is your family?"

Before Seth could respond, Grandpa Larsen, wearing a maroon bathrobe, entered the room.

"Seth!" shouted Grandpa Larsen. "You made it!"

"You knew we were coming," said Seth, as he walked over to Grandpa Larsen and gave him a hug as well. "My family sends their regards."

"We'd been hoping to visit you sometime," said Grandma. "But you're always welcome here."

"Nice to see you again, Tanu," said Grandpa Larsen, shaking the Samoan's hand, as he looked over at Clover, "and you must be Clover."

"Pleased to meet you," said Clover, as she too shook Grandpa Larsen's hand."

"So," began Seth, "when are we... uh... doing this whole thing?"

"The Sphinx?" asked Grandma Larsen. "First thing tomorrow morning. It's late for us now, and even the Sphinx himself requires his rest."

"It would've made more sense for the other group to come here first," noted Grandpa Larsen. "From what we were told, they acquired the Translocator hours ago. They could've gotten here instantaneously."

"You do realize that we're here on an auxiliary obligation," said Seth. "Though if you ask me, it was completely unnecessary. To think that we could've gotten here faster by staying at home and playing video games while the others recovered the Translocator."

"What's done is done," said Agad. "Best to not dwell on the situation. Come, we shall get you prepared for bed."

"But I'm not tired," said Seth.

"Don't worry," said Tanu. "Between Agad's magic and my potions, we can make you tired."

"Great," thought Seth sarcastically. "Just what I need."

Agad then led Seth, Tanu and Clover down another hallway and presented to them the doors to three separate rooms.

"These rooms are where you will be spending the night," said Agad," as he opened the first door, revealing a small bedroom on the other side. "Seth, you may stay here."

"Thanks," said Seth, as he entered the room and closed the door behind himself. The windowless room was small, but well lit and furnished. He immediately noticed a pair of clean pyjamas which had been folded up, were waiting for him atop the bed.

Seth changed into the pyjamas and fell back upon the freshly made bed. It was even nicer than his bed back at home. Just as he settled, someone knocked on his door. "It's Tanu."

"Come in,"

Tanu entered the room and placed a steaming mug down on the night table. "When you are ready for bed, drink this potion and rest your eyes."

"Thanks," said Seth, as Tanu left the room. Not knowing what else he could do at this point, Seth downed the contents of the mug, which tasted a lot like cinnamon. His eyelids began to feel very, prompting him to crawl underneath the covers and fall asleep.

When Seth woke up, he saw that the clock on his night table read seven-o-three. He no longer felt exhausted. He was ready for the new day. He changed into some fresh clothes that he had packed, then ventured out into the hallway.

Unfamiliar with the ziggurat's layout, Seth walked down the way he had been led the previous night, and could hear noise coming from another noise. Seth followed the noise and soon found himself in a kitchen of sorts, where his grandparents and Tanu were already sitting at a table. What appeared to be a monkey was cooking pancakes atop the stove.

"What's up with that monkey?" asked Seth.

"You mean Steve?" asked Grandma Larsen. "Oh, heavens. You haven't had any magical milk today, have you?"

Grandma Larsen poured a glass of milk from a pitcher and handed it to Seth. He drank it down, and watched as the monkey seemingly transformed into a green goblin.

"Eat up," said Grandpa Larsen, as Steve set a plate of pancakes down on the table. "The sooner we interrogate the Sphinx, the better."

Clover soon arrived for breakfast. After everyone ate, they all washed up and met outside the kitchen.

"Well," said Grandpa Larsen, "if you're all ready, I'll take you down to meet the Sphinx.

Grandpa led Seth, Tanu and Clover down another hallway, then muttered some incompressible words, causing the wall to vanish, revealing a staircase leading downwards. Guarding a door at the bottom of the staircase were two large, hulking creatures with long brown fur, that reminded Seth of what Bigfoot might possibly look like.

"Hank Larsen on official business," said Grandpa Larsen. "Allow us to pass."

"He's clear," said one of the creature, staring Grandpa Larsen in the eye. "They may enter."

The other creature opened a large, wooden doorway, which led down to another flight of stairs. At the bottom, Grandpa pulled out an old, metal key and stuck it into the lock. He twisted it back and forth, as if he knew what he was doing. Seth assumed he was aiming for a particular combinations of twists. After a moment, the lock snapped open, and Grandpa opened the door.

Crossing the threshold, Seth observed as he entered another hallway, that bore a striking resemblance to the hall of whispers. It then hit him, he was now in the dungeon underneath Living Mirage!

Eerie presences and feelings seeped out from the cell doors on both sides of the hallway. Knowing that he couldn't let himself be overwhelmed by their influence, Seth closed his eyes and looked down at the floor, trying to block them out. It was too much like the Hall of Dread back home at Fablehaven.

Tanu then grabbed Seth's hand, and proceeded to guide him down the hallway. "It's okay. We're here for you."

Feeling somewhat more confident and secure, Seth followed the group down the hallway and then through another locked door. Behind it was a seemingly barren hallway, with nothing but a single door at the other end.

"The Sphinx is on the other side," said Grandpa, resting his hand against the door. He then unlocked this door and led the group inside.

As they entered the room, Seth saw that the cell was actually furnished rather nicely, not unlike Vanessa's cell had been back when the family still had doubts about her alliance. Sitting on the side of his bed was none other than the Sphinx.

"I was informed that I should be expecting visitors today," said the Sphinx, looking at Seth, Tanu and Clover. How is Seth Sorenson? And Tanu? And... who is the green woman?"

"Clover," replied the fairy angel. "That's all you need to know."

"We're here to do a little_ investigating_," said Tanu, glaring at the Sphinx with a stern look on his face.

"Whatever for?" asked the Sphinx. "Since I've been locked up in here, I have had no contact with the outside world. No television. No phone. Not even a computer."

"You have no need for any of those," said Grandpa Larsen. "If you keep up your good behaviour, we may consider a television. Really good behaviour, and we'll even throw in cable."

"Let's get back to the matter at hand," said Tanu. "Now, what can you tell us about... _Oblivion_?"

Upon hearing Tanu mention the name, the Sphinx's eyes lit up. "Who's Oblivion?"

"Jordan Golding, perhaps?" asked Seth. "Know anything about him?"

"Jordan?" gasped the Sphinx, who seemed rather nervous. "He... he's never used a codename."

"What do you know about him?" asked Clover. "Don't cover it up. We've got a lead on him and we know that you were close."

"How did you hear about Jordan? Or Oblivion?" asked the Sphinx, a wicked smile forming on his face. "He never spoke to anyone but myself. Most members of the Society had never even heard of him."

"Well, he's progressed through the company," said Seth. "Appointed himself the new leader of the Society of the Evening Star."

"So the Society is really back, said the Sphinx. "Interesting. And my own personal sorcerer has taken charge."

"I'm sure they have no interest in rescuing you," said Tanu. "From what we've gathered, they have their sights set on bigger things."

The Sphinx stopped to think for a moment, then scratched his head. "What bigger things?"

"It's none of your concern," replied Tanu, as he whipped out a pad of paper and a pen. "Now, tell us what we need to know."

"Like what?" asked the Sphinx.

"Denton, New York," said Tanu. "That place ring a bell?"

The Sphinx huffed. "My private home was located there. No doubt Oblivion seized it for himself."

"Any other little hiding spots of the Society's that we should know about?" asked Tanu.

Being somewhat hesitant, the Sphinx spat out several other addresses, all of which Tanu jotted down.

"But that's all I know," said the Sphinx. "And I was the leader of the whole Society. Weren't too many secrets they were able to hide from me."

"Very well then," said Clover. "What can you tell us about Oblivion?"

"You expect me to just spill the beans all at once?" asked the Sphinx. "Listen, fairy girl. I know what you are, milk or no milk. I can sense something's amiss. I'm that good."

"Just tell us," said Seth. "We need to be prepared for Oblivion in the future."

The Sphinx laughed. "He's a master of magic. He was loyal to me. Never afraid to do my bidding. No real advice I can give to you, except that he never fought any battles. Of course, things may have changed since my absence."

"I bet Oblivion wouldn't be able to hold his own against our own fairy magic," said Clover. "He's only human."

"You're pretty smug," said the Sphinx. "Oblivion isn't stupid, nor is he weak. He's the one who put Navarog under my influence. Think a demon prince like him would just take orders from me? Hardly."

"Not much else we can really learn about Oblivion, is there?" asked Tanu.

"I _could_ answer some basic question," said the Sphinx. "How long he's been with the Society. His hometown. His birthday."

"I supposed this information _could_ prove to be useful," said Tanu, as he prepared to jot down the Sphinx's facts.

Seth listened to Tanu and the Sphinx's Q&A session, but didn't really learn anything overly important from it, as it was mostly just trivial information that didn't seem relevant to the matter at hand.

"What can you tell us about Matthew and Ashley Alder?" asked Tanu. "And Alexander and Margot Springer?"

"Ah yes, them. Both of them were married couples, if memory serves. The Springers in particular mostly performed administrative, behind the scenes duties for the Society. The Alders were agents. Matthew is a sorcerer, but not at the same level as Oblivion. Ashley is a shape-shifter. But their magic isn't too powerful."

"And what about Jake?" asked Tanu. "The datchit?"

"Never heard of him. Honest."

"So," said Seth. "What do we do if we check these addresses and find no leads?" asked Seth.

"Simple," said Tanu. "We report back here and tell the Larsens that the Sphinx wasn't being truthful. I'm sure that they'll think of an adequate reward for the Sphinx's information."

"Look, I have not answered any of your questions falsely," said the Sphinx. "If I were to tell you _everything_ I knew about Oblivion, we could be here all day. But it would've just been more trivial information."

Seth positioned himself directly in front of the Sphinx, then looked down and gazed into his eyes. Hoping that his shadow charmer ability would possibly shield him from the Sphinx's influence, Seth tried to his mind for who he was, but came up short.

"Well, I think that we've learned enough for now," said Tanu, expressing a look of doubt in his eyes. "Seth, Clover, I think we should leave."

"I appreciated the visitors," said the Sphinx, as Grandpa Larsen led the group out of the Sphinx's cell and locked the door behind himself.

"How long is the Sphinx staying here?" asked Seth.

"Indefinitely," replied Grandpa Larsen, leading the group out of the dungeon. "We're awaiting the go-ahead to make him an eternal, but other than that, we have no further plans for him."

"Confined to that room?" asked Clover. "Sounds like he has it no better than Navarog."

"At least the Sphinx is being held under supervision," noted Grandpa Larsen.

"Well, at least the trip wasn't a waste," said Tanu. "We're going to call home and relay what we've learned. We'll also get a status update on the other team."

Upon going upstairs, Grandpa Larsen led Tanu into his study, while Seth and Clover went to sit down in the living room.

"What do you suppose we do now?" asked Seth.

"Guess we're just gonna have to go home and figure out what to do next from there."

"_Great_..." muttered Seth. "We get to ride on a bird for ten hours. I'd rather fly coach on a commercial plane."

"Cheer up, Seth. I know this past day has been tedious for you."

"Yeah, send the shadow charmer to the demon-infested dungeon. That's smart, Grandpa Stan."

"What was that about Stan?" asked Warren.

Seth and Clover both stared at the entrance to the room, where Warren was standing, holding the Translocator against his waist in one hand.

"You got it!" gasped Clover, as she ran over to Warren, then gave him a hug and a kiss. Seth then watched as Warren's hair magically turned as green as Clover's.

"Excuse me!" gasped Clover, as she used her magic to restore Warren's hair back to its proper chocolatey-brown color. Warren rolled his eyes, oblivious as to what had just happened.

"If you guys are ready, we can head back any time," said Warren. "I'll meet with you outside so we can bring Jet back as well."

Seth went to grab his bag from his room, then ventured outside along with Tanu, Clover, Warren, Agad and his grandparents. At the bottom of the steps, Jet awaited them.

"We'd love to stay and chat, but we've got a lot on our plate," said Warren. "We'll keep in touch." He then wound the sides of the Translocator and gripped the middle section. "It's a long story, but the Translocator's three traveller limit has been removed. Grab hold, everyone."

Seth and Tanu each placed a hand on one side of the Translocator, while Clover placed a hand on the other. Next, Jet placed the tip of her wing on the side next to Clover's hand.

"All right," said Warren. "Next stop, Fablehaven!".


	16. Pursuit

**Chapter 16 – Pursuit**

Seth experienced the sensation of travelling through the Translocator, as though his body had been folded inwards, before expanding back to normal. Instantaneously, he and the others had been transported from the exterior of Living Mirage to the front yard at Fablehaven. Thought it had been morning when they departed Living Mirage, it was still night back in Fablehaven's timezone.

"Great to see you all," said Grandpa Sorenson, who was waiting outside along with Grandma.

"Tanu told us that you learned some information from the Sphinx," said Grandma. "That should hopefully prove to be beneficial."

"They were mostly addresses," said Seth. "Hopefully they'll lead us somewhere. What happened with the other group?"

"Come inside," said Grandpa. "We'll talk about everything in the morning. It's the middle of the night for us!"

Grandpa led the group back into the dark house, and Seth retreated to his room, where he got himself ready for bed. However, he wasn't the least bit tired. He then heard someone knock on his door. It was Clover, who offered to put him to sleep by magic. Seth complied, and soon collapsed upon his bed.

The next morning, Seth got up and headed downstairs. Although he had not needed the sleep, he felt completely refreshed the moment he had opened his eyes. After eating breakfast, his family and friends all congregated in the living room.

First off, Kendra's group relayed the story of how they ventured through Labrador Labyrinth, fought the tyrantula and reclaimed the Translocator. They then spoke about their journey through the knapsack and into the Fairy Kingdom, where they met up with Bracken and the Fairy Queen herself.

"So you got the Translocator..." began Seth, "revisited Navarog, found Bracken and the Fairy Queen, learned what's going on, and got the Translocator upgraded?"

"Pretty much," replied Warren.

"Wish we could say the same for our trip," said Seth. "I don't know why we just didn't just have our conversation with the Sphinx over the phone or even a webcam."

"We felt that the Sphinx would've been best dealt with in person," answered Grandpa. "Besides, Grandpa Larsen wanted to give the Sphinx notice that we were coming, as to not invade his privacy and intimidate him. Had you shown up right then and there with the Translocator, the Sphinx would've detected that something was amiss."

"Well, at least it's over with," said Seth.

"The Sphinx was kind enough to give us some insight on Oblivion," said Tanu. "However, he has no way of knowing where Oblivion actually is, or what he's even plotting."

"He did confirm that the Sphinx's name is indeed Jordan Golding," said Clover. "Even if never uses that name consistently. Or at all. He did however give some insight on those other people who we're positive have been working with Oblivion."

Seth, Tanu and Clover went on to explain what they had learned from the Sphinx about Oblivion, the Alders and the Sphinx.

"That's more than they ever told me," said Lance. "Not that they were ones to really explain things to me. It was more of a "f_igure-things-out-for-yourself_" situation. Except that they didn't really want me to learn anything at all."

"It's okay, Lance," said Kendra. "Are you enjoying your stay here?"

"Can't complain," said Lance. "Mind you, living with the Society _was _hell. But this place really is fascinating. However, I've been told not to go beyond the yard under any circumstance."

"Believe us," said Seth. "When they say stay out, it's best you listen."

"I've got no intention of ever getting into any more trouble," said Lance. "I do want to get back to a normal life after this whole ordeal, but I have to say that have been enjoying my stay here. I've ever befriended a fairy. I can't understand her, but Dale said her name's Shiara."

"She really is a good fairy," said Kendra. "You can trust her."

Seth snorted. "Of course she's nice. She's a fairy. She has to be nice."

"Not necessarily," said Bright. "Just like with humans, there are good fairies, and there are bad fairies. However, bad fairies are rare and usually get turned into imps for defying their own kind's beliefs."

"Because they become imps, actual bad fairies are practically an oxymoron," said Clover.

"Wish you'd just turn those Society members into imps," said Seth. "It'd make things a whole lot easier."

"Wish we could," said Bright. "However, magic users like Matthew and Ashley could easily counter our spells. You saw what happened back at Oblivion's mansion."

"Speaking of which," said Seth, "When will we be going after the Society?" asked Seth.

"Today, if possible," said Grandpa.

"Wait a minute," said Kendra. "We have to go to school! The weekend's over!"

Mr. and Mrs. Sorenson looked down at the floor, then turned their heads back up at Seth and Kendra.

"Kids," said Mr. Sorenson. "You won't be going to school any longer."

"What?" gasped Kendra.

"Awesome!" said Seth with a grin.

"We've come to a consensus," said Mrs. Sorenson. "Dealing with the Society is just too important. But it conflicts with your normal lives. It's been decided that you will be home-schooled, either by myself or a tutor."

"No more school?" asked Seth.

"No more _going_ to school," said Mrs, Sorenson. You two are still getting an education, somehow."

Trying to get her mind off the thought of school, Kendra forced herself to think more about the issue at hand.

"Where are we going to start looking?" asked Kendra.

"We've poured over the addresses that were given by the Sphinx," answered Grandpa. "Honestly, there doesn't seem to be anything remarkable about any of them. That being said, why not try for the one closest to here? It's in Kentucky."

"Sounds good," said Warren. "Since I've done a lot of travelling working as a Knight, we can even use the Translocator for all sort of shortcuts."

"What about stealth?" asked Seth. "When we went after Kendra, Bright and Clover's magic didn't even work on me!"

Kendra's eyes suddenly lit up. "Don't worry. The Fairy Queen gave me something to deal with that. I'll get it right now!"

Kendra got out of her seat, then scurried upstairs for a brief moment. Afterwards, she darted back to the living room, presenting Seth with the bracelet she had received from the Fairy Queen. Seth examined the bracelet, expressing a dumbfound look on his face.

"What's this supposed to do?" asked Seth, slipping the bracelet onto his right wrist.

"The Fairy Queen said it's supposed to suppress your shadow charmer ability," replied Kendra. "If that's the case, Bright and Clover's magic should properly work on you."

"Let's make sure," said Bright, unleashing her rainbow-colored magic upon Seth. Upon contact, Seth shrunk down and transformed into a Yorkshire terrier.

Unable to speak, Seth lifted his head up and began yapping loudly.

"Let me try," said Clover, using her own magic to transform Seth's body from that of a dog into a duck.

Still furious, Seth started quacking furiously.

"Would you just change him back?" gasped Mr. Sorenson, who appeared to be beside himself.

"Sorry," said Bright, trying to hide a smirk. "These transformations are always kind of funny." She then used her magic to turn Seth back into a human.

"_Thank, you,_"said Seth stubbornly, sitting back down in his seat.

"See," said Clover. "Now we can be certain that the bracelet works properly, and shouldn't have to worry about it in the middle of a scuffle."

"As for snooping around," said Bright, "we should be safe as long as we're careful. While Clover and I have our magic, it is by no means groundbreaking. Certainly not enough to effectively fight off Oblivion. We'll have to catch him off guard."

"Tanu's potions should prove useful too," added Clover. "What kind do you plan on bringing?"

Tanu took in a deep breath. "I have to confess. I will not be joining you on this adventure."

Nearly everyone else in the room appeared to be shocked upon hearing Tanu's little announcement.

"You're not coming?" gasped Kendra. "Why?"

"The same reason why you're being tutored. School. I am going to be teaching a potions class for the Knights of the Dawn this semester, and I start tomorrow."

"You mean?" asked Seth.

Tanu sighed. "I didn't want to boast about it, but this class has priority. That's why I kept quiet about it this whole time I've been here and while travelling to Living Mirage."

"That's all right," said Kendra. "I'm glad that you're pursuing something you like. We'll just miss you."

"Although I will not be able to help you in person, I will leave some potions in your care. Maybe you'll need them, maybe you won't. It's my way of showing that I care."

"I'm going to travel with Tanu back to his place with the Translocator," said Warren. "Then I'll use it to come back here."

Tanu then got up and gathered his belonging, but made sure to present a small leather bag to Kendra upon returning to the living room.

"Here they are," said Tanu. "I made sure to write labels on them, just to be safe. However, I don't normally do that, so be sure to guard these potions with your life. The last thing I want is for stolen potions to get misused."

"Understood," said Kendra.

"I'm sorry that I wasn't able to help you out all that much," said Tanu, giving Kendra a hug. "But I know that you have what it takes to succeed, even without me by your side."

"Anytime you're ready," said Warren, as Tanu shook Seth's hand.

"Goodbye," said Tanu, as he twisted the Translocator. Everyone then bid him farewell, as he and Warren disappeared into thin air.

Moments later, Warren reappeared alone, clenching the Translocator in his hands. He couldn't help but look somewhat saddened.

About an hour or so later, the group was fully ready to embark on their next journey. Without Tanu, the team consisted of Kendra, Seth, Warren, Bright, Clover, Raxtus and Jet. Surely their combined skills and power would be enough to deal with the situation at hand.

Upon meeting up with Raxtus outside, Kendra could sense that something was amiss with the fairy dragon.

"Raxtus, what's wrong?"

"It's Jet," replied Raxtus. "She feels... confused."

"Where is she?"

"Somewhere over that way," replied Raxtus, pointing towards the west.

"Where over _that way_?" asked Warren, sounding somewhat concerned.

"I dunno," replied Raxtus. "You guys are more familiar with this place than I am. Tell me."

"Grunhold, the home of the centaurs, is in that direction," stated Kendra. "Jet better be careful."

"We need to get there quick," said Warren, rising into the air under his own power. "Let's go!"

Kendra and Seth leapt onto Raxtus' back, and the dragon flew alongside Warren over towards the centaurs' domain. It had once been situated within a large grove, but following the events of Graulas' rise to power, the land was now much smaller in size.

"There she is!" shouted Seth, pointing downwards. "See?"

"Roger," said Warren, as he and Raxtus flew down to the clearing where Jet had been spotted. She was leaning against a tree, allowing her head to droop down towards the ground.

"Jet," said Warren, "you've gotta get out of here. The centaurs are entitled to this land. If they catch you here, they'll kill you."

"I do not care," said Jet.

"They'll kill you," said Seth. "You know, _shut down_, pull the plug..."

"I am conflicted. Though I am an organic being, I feel that I am still artificial. I lack emotion. I lack love."

"Don't you want to help us?" asked Kendra. "That was your original purpose. Helping people."

"I do not understand. I do not feel the need to help you. I am confused."

"Are you saying that you do not wish to accompany us on our journey?" asked Warren.

"Affirmative. I did not feel any different after travelling to Living Mirage. I exist only to serve others. And now you have the Translocator, rendering me nearly obsolete."

"Don't say that," said Kendra. "Maybe you don't care about us, but we care about you. If this is how you feel, you can stay here. At least think about the whole situation before throwing your life away."

"I will think about it," said Jet, as she lifted up her wings and flew back towards the house.

"Poor Jet," said Seth. "She's a lifeless being trapped in a living body."

"I was hoping she'd be more like Hugo or Mendigo," said Kendra. Without magic, those two are just inanimate objects. But even they've learned to develop feelings after being brought to life by magic."

"Two things," said Warren. "One, Jet was originally a computer capable of thought. Limited thought, mind you, but still thought. Two, she was merged with that phoenix statue through the use of the Omega Star, not actual fairy magic, so that may also be an issue."

"Think maybe the fairies could help Jet out a little?" asked Seth.

"Maybe," replied Kendra. "Let's go back to the house and see."

"Yeah," said Warren, cranking the Translocator. "Before those centaurs catch us fooling around out here."

The group then transported themselves back to the garden outside the house. Upon arriving Kendra immediately ran over towards the fairies that were floating around, quickly earning their respect and attention.

"Attention!" blurted Kendra. "I want you fairies to keep an eye on Jet while we're gone. Make her feel accepted. Make her feel loved.

"We can try," said one of the fairies, in a tongue that Kendra was capable of comprehending.

"I hope so," said Kendra. "It was one thing to help Lance. But an man-made mind that is incapable of show affection? I don't know."

Warren took in a deep breath. "There's not much we can do. Besides, we've got to get going and try to catch up with the society before who knows what they do."

Seth nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Not much we can accomplish by staying here."

Warren twisted the Translocator again, and held it out for the others to grab. Rather than placing a hand on one of the sides, Kendra look over in the distance, where she saw Jet perched atop a large boulder.

"Coming, Kendra?" asked Warren.

Kendra huffed. "Coming."

Keeping an eye fixated on Jet, Kendra placed her fingers upon the Translocator, as Warren used its powers to warp the group to another part of the country. Instantaneously, the scenery of Fablehaven was seemingly overlapped by that of another forested area.

"Where are we?" Seth.

"Near Lexington, Kentucky," said Warren. "It's the closest I could get us to where we actually want to go- Madisonville."

As Bright and Clover had vanished for the interim, Seth, Kendra and Warren all climbed onto Raxtus' back. The fairy dragon was barely large enough to support all three of the bodies, and even though Warren was capable of flight, he would not be able to keep up with Raxtus under his own power. Although Jet was not available to offer her services, Raxtus would at least not be responsible for having to carry Tanu's weight around, what with the Samoan away teaching a course.

Raxtus flew up into the air and across the Kentucky countryside, passing over an assortment of fields and towns. In less than an hour, they had approached the town of Madisonville. However, the town itself was not their destination, but was in actuality the closest point on the map.

On a large estate out in the country lay a large mansion, not unlike the first one they had visited back in Denton, New York. As they landed several acres away from the front gate, Kendra could see that the house itself was not a large as the first one.

Kendra, Seth and Warren slipped off of Raxtus' backside, just as the fairy dragon triggered his powers to render himself invisible. With Raxtus as their lookout, the Sorenson siblings and Warren trotted down the road towards the house. If things got hairy they also had Bright and Clover on their side, ready to assist them.

They soon reached the front gate, which had been left unlocked and apparently unguarded. It seemed almost entirely suspicious, but the group all figured that nobody was home, and that there was no need for an empty house to be guarded. Still, it seemed logical to inspect the house in the possibility of finding a clue or two.

"I'll wait outside," said Raxtus, his voice giving away his position.

As they walked up to the front door, the adventurers got the feeling that nobody was even home. It just seemed so quiet. Warren then pulled out a a little kit from his bag, from which he removed a small rod. He shoved the rod into the front door's keyhole, and proceeded to pick the lock.

"Got it," said Warren, as the lock clicked open. He then turned the knob and pushed the door inwards.

The interior of the house, which seemed no larger than the residence back at Fablehaven, was unsurprisingly empty. Kendra, Seth and Warren all looked around, but could not find anything of significance. The address appeared to be correct, but what it the Sphinx was just sending them on a wild goose chase.

Kendra proceed to climb up the stairs to the second floor, while Seth and Warren followed her footsteps. She was then startled when she heard a noise coming from down the second story hallway.

It sounded like someone was talking. Although they couldn't make out what the people were saying, they were positive someone else was indeed in the house. The Sphinx had been right!

"Careful," whispered Warren. "Real careful."

Kendra crept around the doorway from which the sound was emitting from. The room appeared to be a den, and Kendra saw that a morning talk show was currently playing on the television. She looked around, but couldn't see anybody else in the room at all.

"Nobody's here," muttered Kendra. "But the TV's on."

"You!" shrieked a high-pitched voice that seemed to be coming from the couch. "What are _you_ doing here?"


	17. Snitch

**Chapter 17 – Snitch**

Having been lured by the small, screeching voice, Kendra and Seth cautiously crept towards the couch from which it came. At first there didn't appear to be anyone there, not even an invisible figure given the lack of weight that was being distributed on the cushions. However, once they got a view behind the armrest, Kendra and Seth spotted what appeared to be a grovelin, only a few inches in height, nestled against it.

"Metalhead!" screamed the grovelin. "Help!"

Upon the grovelin's request, a suit of armor that had been standing in a motionless position on the other side of the couch suddenly sprang to life and lunged at Seth and Kendra, who barely managed to back away from it.

"Is that all you've got?" asked Seth, as the suit of armor unsheathed its own sword.

"I'll handle this," said Warren, drawing his sword and immediately engaging in sword-to-sword combat with Metalhead.

Rather than sit and watch Warren fight off Metalhead, Kendra lashed towards the grovelin on the couch and successfully clenched it within her hands.

"Forget that guy!" squealed the grovelin. "Protect me!"

Metalhead turned away from Warren, who had been having no luck in driving it off, and began to approach Kendra. With the grovelin still squirming in her hands, Kendra darted out of the room, Warren and Seth followed, as did Metalhead.

"How do we stop it?" asked Seth. "Your sword did nothing!"

"And using Vasilis wouldn't make a difference, because this thing's an animated object, not a dark being," added Warren

Kendra ran back downstairs and darted out the front door, the her allies and enemy all on her tail. Warren and Seth slammed the front door in Metalhead's face, only for it to bust through the door as if it were made of cardboard.

"What's going on?" asked Raxtus, who had been waiting near the front of the house. He was quick to notice that attacking suit of armor. "This guy giving you a hard time?"

"You could say that," said Seth. "Care to return the favor?"

Raxtus cracked his knuckles and nodded, then charged towards Metalhead. Upon impact, Raxtus didn't even phase Metalhead; he felt as though he had flown headfirst into a cliff.

"That thing's TOUGH!" exclaimed Raxtus, as Metalhead slashed him with his sword.

"Raxtus!" gasped Kendra. "That thing even penetrated your skin!"

Kendra then held the grovelin at eye level and glared at it fiercely. "All right. Call off that living armor or I'll-"

"Don't hurt him!" said Warren. "He's the whole reason we even came here!"

"Bright!" called Kendra. "Clover! We need you!"

"We're coming!" said Bright, whose voice was strangely coming from a distance. Kendra, Seth and Warren all turned their heads and watched as the fairies flew towards them. "It's weird, but we couldn't just appear next to you guys."

"What's going on?" asked Clover, as she and Bright arrived just in time to watch Metalhead push Raxtus aside with one arm.

"What's that armor doing?" asked Bright.

"I hope that's not the Society's idea of a knight," said Warren. "Please. Use your magic to stop it, already!"

Bright responded by directing her magic at Metalhead, but it didn't seem to affect it in any way. "It's not working!"

"Let me try," said Clover, who attempted to use her own magic on Metalhead, only to achieve the same results.

"This thing repels outside magic," said the grovelin. "Do your worst."

"Forget fighting this stupid thing," said Warren. "Why don't we just fly outta here with the grovelin?" He then levitated himself several feet into the air. "Raxtus, get Seth and Kendra, would..."

Metalhead then rose into the air, as if it were magically being levitated.

"Metalhead exists to protect me and follow my orders at any cost," said the grovelin proudly. "And it's pretty much unstoppable too!"

"I know!" said Seth. "We can use our _shortcut_ to escape from here!"

"I was hoping it wouldn't come to this," said Warren, "but let's try it!"

Dodging Metalhead, Warren flew down to the ground and whipped out the Translocator. He cranked the two ends of it and allowed the others to touch them, even the grovelin. However, when Warren attempted to actually use the Translocator, it failed to work.

"Warren, hurry!" cried Kendra, as Metalhead soared down towards the group, thrusting its sword in both hands.

"It's not working!" exclaimed Warren. "Must be Metalhead's dark magic or something!"

The group scrambled away from Metalhead, although it was successful in grabbing Seth and pinning him to the ground.

"Good!" said the grovelin. "Now, what do I do with him?"

"Stop!" shrieked Kendra. "Don't hurt let Metalhead hurt him!"

"Allow us," said Bright, as she and Kendra used their magic on Raxtus, allowing the fairy dragon to grow until he was at least twenty feet tall.

"Thanks, girls," said Raxtus, as he turned and looked down at Metalhead. He then grabbed the suit of armor, only for it to magically grow to twice _his_ height.

Raxtus gulped. "I think I liked it better when _I_ outsized _him_!"

"Oh man," said Seth. "We can't beat it with strength. We can't beat it with magic. What do we do now?"

"We'll use our brains," said Kendra. "That's one thing Metalhead _doesn't _have. Hopefully."

"That's thing's not gonna stop until it kills us," said Warren, gazing up at Metalhead. "What we need is an idea."

"Have fun," said the grovelin. "That thing will do anything I say, at whatever it takes. It doesn't need brains."

"Anything _you_ say?" asked Seth. "That gives me an idea."

"Make it quick," said an enlarged Raxtus, trying to ward off the even larger Metalhead. "This thing is gonna clobber us!"

"Can you fairies turn this grovelin invisible?" asked Seth, turning to face the fairies.

"If Metalhead's dark aura doesn't neutralize our powers, sure," answered Bright. "But why would we want to do that? The last thing we need is not being able to see our enemy."

"And could you turn me into a grovelin, just like this one?"

"I could," answered Clover, "but how's _that_ gonna help? Grovelins are puny."

"I heard that," muttered the grovelin.

"Then do it!" blurted Seth. "Turn the grovelin invisible, and turn me into a grovelin!"

Bright and Clover rolled their eyes in unison, then granted Seth's request. Bright used her magic to render the grovelin in Kendra's arms invisible, while Clover transformed Seth into a grovelin much like the real one.

"I hope this works," said Seth, doing his best grovelin impression. His sounded somewhat scratchy, but it didn't sound too off-pitch from the real thing.

"Hey! Metalhead!" shouted Seth, as he ran over to the suit's feet just as it slammed Raxtus in his chest and flung him aside several acres. "Down here!"

Metalhead turned his attention away from Raxtus and looked down at the faux-grovelin that was Seth.

"That's right," said Seth. "I'm talking to you!"

"Hey!" snarled the real grovelin. "That's-"

The invisible grovelin had been cut off in mid sentence by Kendra, who was keeping a tight grip on his tiny mouth using her free hand.

"Metalhead," said Seth. "Stop attacking! That's an order."

Metalhead then stood completely still, to the point where one couldn't tell that he was actually animated.

"Shrink down to your normal size."

Responding to Seth, Metalhead did just that. It no longer seemed to pose a threat now that Seth was in control.

"What do we do with Metalhead now?" asked Kendra, who was struggling to keep the true grovelin trapped within her hands.

"Thing like this would be useful," said Warren. "Like Hugo or Mendigo. Problem is, its loyal to the Society, and we'd be unable to restrain it with fairy magic."

"Get rid of it," said Bright.

"There's a lake not too far from here in _that_ direction," said Seth, as he held his arm out. "Allow yourself to sink to the bottom of it, and never come back, ever."

Metalhead turned away from Seth and then proceeded to walk off in the direction that he had been pointing.

"I'll follow him to make sure that's where he goes," said Raxtus, as Bright and Clover used their magic to shrink Raxtus back down to his proper size.

"Now it's my turn," said Seth, as Raxtus flew off after Metalhead. Clover complied by transforming Seth back into a human.

"This thing works great," said Seth, admiring the bracelet on his wrist.

"And him," said Kendra, displaying the invisible grovelin she was holding. Bright replied by making the little creature visible again.

"What did you do to Metalhead?" asked the grovelin.

"We'll ask the questions now that your lackey is out of commission," said Kendra. "Now, why would a little grovelin like you wind up in a place like this. Unless, you're..."

"The same grovelin that let Navarog into Fablehaven and conspired with Oblivion?" asked Warren. "Wouldn't doubt it."

"So you put two and two together," muttered the grovelin. "Good for you."

"Let's take this little nasty back to somewhere that's a little more cozy," said Warren, pulling out the translocator. He set up the artifact, and everyone used it to instantly travel back to Fablehaven, in front of the house.

"You're bringing me here?" asked the grovelin, as the group, sans Raxtus, carried him inside of the house.

"You're back?" asked Grandpa, as he gazed upon the grovelin in Kendra' hands. "What are you doing with that thing?"

"It's Snitch!" gasped Lance, laying eyes upon the grovelin. "I'd recognize that smirk anywhere!"

"You stupid brat!" growled Snitch. "You're not supposed to talk back!"

"What's he doing here?" asked Grandpa, unable to keep her eyes off of Snitch.

"We're taking him to the dungeon for questioning," said Warren. "We'd give you the full tour, but I believe you've been here before. Of course, we've redecorated since that incident.

Grandpa then gave Warren the keys to the dungeon, who led Kendra and Seth down to the basement door. Warren unlocked the door and directed the group to an empty cell, where Kendra placed Snitch down on the floor.

"Did you have to be so rough on my poor little body?" asked the grovelin, rubbing his backside.

"Yes," replied Kendra, giving Snitch a stern look.

"What's with this place?" asked Snitch.

"This is your new home," said Warren. "Learn to love it."

"We got questions, and you've got answers," said Seth. "Now, we'll cut to the chase, and you'd better co-operate with us."

"Or else, what?" asked Snitch, looking somewhat perplexed.

"We'll assign you a roommate," said Warren. "I'm thinking one of those big, nasty monsters from the Hall of Dread."

"You'll never learn anything from me if I get eaten," said Snitch.

"Then we'll make sure the monster's a vegetarian," said Warren.

"All right, Snitch," began Kendra. "We know about how you fled flow Fablehaven after the whole ordeal with Navarog. What drove you to teaming up with the Society?"

"After overheard about you guys gabbing about the instruments of eternal power, I knew that I had to get a hold of them. Why let them sit in some fairy museum? But how would I, a puny little grovelin, ever hope to accomplish that task?"

"And how exactly did you find Oblivion?" asked Warren.

"Us grovelins aren't stupid. We have our connections."

"And he agreed to help you?" asked Seth. "Why? Why would you trust the Society? They could just double cross you. Taking your information and doing away with you when you're no longer needed."

"Oblivion seemed interested enough. You may view the Society as "evil" and "uncaring", but give them what they want and they're actually very cooperative. Once Oblivion travelled to the Fairy Kingdom and saw the instruments for himself, he knew that I had been right all along and rewarded me with my own mansion, as well as Metalhead. When he does get the instruments, he agreed to let me have whatever I want."

"So you don't care about living in a world controlled by Oblivion?" asked Warren. "What if he doesn't follow through on his promise?"

"It's a risk I was willing to take. Oblivion's been good to me so far. Been the best experience of my entire life. Until YOU guys showed up!"

"Oblivion," said Kendra. "What's he planning? How'd he get into the Fairy Kingdom?"

"I dunno," replied Snitch. "You think I just perch myself atop his shoulder like a parrot and follow him around? He just used magic."

"That's crazy," stated Warren. "The Fairy Kingdom is protected by a powerful magic. You can't just force your way through!"

"Look, if you run into Oblivion, you can ask him how he did it."

"We know that Oblivion is planning something," said Kendra. "What is it?"

"I haven't a clue. Oblivion just thanked me for the heads up about the instruments. I've done nothing more than that."

Seth took in a deep breath. "He's lying. I can sense it."

Warren whipped out his sword and slammed it down upon Snitch, pinning him to the floor. "I'm sorry, but I believe you're withholding some information from us. Now, how does Oblivion plan to take the instruments from the Fairy Kingdom?"

Snitch shrieked. "He said something about overwhelming the Fairy Kingdom using Kendra's magic and a really powerful monster."

"What monster?" asked Seth.

"I don't remember. Trinity or something. Said something about living underwater. But that's all I know!"

"That'll do," said Warren. "For now. We'll come back to see you if we've got any more questions."

Warren led Seth and Kendra out of the cell, then locked the door behind them before they went back upstairs.

"So," asked Grandpa, "how'd it go?"

Upon settling in Grandpa's study, Seth, Kendra and Warren then proceeded to tell Grandpa and Grandma about their little interrogation with Snitch, and what they had learned.

"So, all that Snitch was able to tell you about Oblivion's plan was that he was going to recruit a powerful aquatic monster by the name of Trinity? I must confess that I know not of such a creature, but perhaps I can consult someone who does."

Kendra and Seth followed Warren back into the living room, where they once again seated themselves.

"You think this Trinity monster is really a huge threat?" asked Seth.

Kendra winced. "I'm not so sure I want to even find out. Hopefully, we can find Oblivion using one of those other addresses we got from the Sphinx before he can do anything worse."

"That sounds like a good idea," said Warren. "The less danger we have to brave, the better. Not that I'm one to back away from a threat or anything. I'm going back downstairs to ask Snitch if he knows anything more about those addresses. See if anything rings a bell."

Warren stood up and headed back towards the door to the basement, while Kendra and Seth remained in the living room. "Oh, Seth," said Kendra softly. "Even if we do find Oblivion, how are we supposed to stop him? He's really powerful and smart, that I already knew. But if he's determined enough to pursue a powerful monster and take command of it, what chance do we have? I already told you about what happened to the instruments and the Keepers in the Fairy Kingdom, and how Oblivion used his power to freeze them. Do we really have what it takes to stop him?"

"I don't know, Kendra. But my heart is telling me not to give up on this. We've been through seemingly impossible situations before. Bahamut, Vanessa and Christopher's takeover, the Shadow Plague, Wyrmroost, Zzyzx, Navarog. But in the end, we always pulled through."

"You're right," said Kendra, giving Seth a firm hug. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," mumbled Seth, who was struggling to break free from Kendra's tight grip.

"All right!" said Warren, walking back into the living room. Kendra and Seth were quick to notice that he was waving a piece of paper around in his hand.

"What'd you find out?" asked Seth.

"I got Snitch to confess. Somewhat. He recognized one of the addresses. It's a summer home in California where Matthew and Ashley are allegedly staying. But that was it. He was in a really foul mood, and I could tell that I wasn't going to get any more information of him very easily."

"So now what?" asked Kendra.

"I say we just check out this next location. If we can sneak up upon Matthew and Ashley, we can possibly get the upper hand and subdue them. I don't think Snitch was willing to admit it, but I got the impression that they've got another role to play in Oblivion's plan."

At that moment, the door to Grandpa's study swung open furiously, to the point where the doorknob made a small dent in the wall.

"Good, you're still here," said Grandpa, whose face appeared to be white.

"You okay, Stan?" asked Warren, trying to read Grandpa's face.

"I'm fine, but if what I've learned is true, none of us will be for much longer."

"What are you talking about?" asked Seth.

"That _Trinity_ monster Snitch mentioned. Well, it technically isn't a monster. It's a demon. And its name is actually Tritanoss."

"It's only one demon," said Seth. "How much can one demon-"

"A lot," said Grandpa sternly. "According to Trask, Tritanoss is the largest, most powerful entity to have ever lived on this planet. In comparison, Tritanoss would make _Navarog_ look like a... salamander."


	18. Power Play

**Chapter 18 – Power Play**

Pacing back and forth through the living room, all that was currently on Kendra's mind was the thought of Tritanoss and Oblivion's intention of awakening him.

"So, how are we supposed to find Oblivion and stop him from finding Tritanoss before we do?" asked Kendra.

"The only lead we got from Snitch was that home where Matthew and Ashley are allegedly staying," said Grandpa. "But can we even trust him? The whole thing might be a trap."

"We got this information from both Snitch and the Sphinx while they were under lock and key," said Warren. "I don't know how they could actually set this whole thing up in advance. And if this _does_ turn out to be a trap, we can always escape using the Translocator. It's not like anyone else knows that we even have it."

"Warren brings up a good point," said Grandpa. "We do have the element of surprise. They likely don't even know what happened to Snitch. Yet. However, I'm giving some thought to a plan that might keep what happened a secret, at least if the Society's been keeping tabs on Snitch.

"So what's stopping us from going after the Alders?" asked Seth. "I know that they're a force to be reckoned with, but how much time do we actually have?"

"Not a lot, I fear," replied Grandpa. "However, it would be wisest to wait until it's nightfall on the west coast. Hopefully, they will be sound asleep by then, giving up the upper hand in a preemptive intrusion. Take it easy for the rest of the day, you'll need your strength for tonight.

Seth and Kendra had gone to bed early that evening, and were eventually woken up at around four o'clock in the morning. Though both were feeling somewhat groggy, it didn't take much convincing to get the both out of bed and into their adventuring clothes.

When Seth and Kendra met up with Warren downstairs, they ventured out into the front yard, where they were greeted by Newel and Doren.

"You hear we're gonna be helping you on your quest?" asked Doren.

"Them folks look a bit tired, I must say," added Newel.

"You guys are coming too?" asked Seth, rubbing his eyes.

"Not exactly," noted Warren.

"Whadda ya mean "not exactly"?" asked Newel. "Stan said we'd be helpin' ya a whole lot for all this!"

Warren rolled his eyes. "Newel and Doren are indeed going to be helping us, but they're not going to coming with us. They're going to stand in for Snitch and Metalhead back in Kentucky. That way, if the Society does in fact keep tabs on Snitch, they hopefully won't suspect that we've been there."

"Stan said we'd like the job," said Doren. "All we gotta do is watch television a whole lot. Newel and I can do that."

"_And_ keep your cool if the Society shows up or make any attempt to contact you," noted Warren."

"We know, we know," stated Newel.

"Is everybody ready?" asked Warren, as Raxtus trotted over to the group. "Good, then let's get going."

Warren pulled out the Translocator, and once everyone had grabbed a section of it, used it to transport the crowd to a field down the road from Snitch's house.

"You think the Society might've figured out what's going on?" asked Kendra, staring at Snitch's house.

"Hopefully not," said Warren. "Snitch has done his duty as far as they're concerned. Can see why they'd need to contact him or vice versa unless they've got some sort of routine protocol. Mind you, the whole reason we're bringing in Newel and Doren is just in case they _do _check in on Snitch for some reason.

"Then let's get this whole thing going," said Doren. "Make us look like Snitch and Metalhead."

"Bright, Clover," said Kendra. "Do your thing!"

On cue, Bright and Clover appeared beside Kendra, then looked down at the satyrs.

"Here goes," said Bright, using her magic to transform Newel in a grovelin. A near-perfect replica of Snitch.

"I was already little," grumbled Newel. "Now I'm _really_ dinky!"

"It's just for a little while," said Warren. "Look at it this way, now you can eat your fill of junk food more easily."

"Now Doren," said Clover, using her magic to enlarge the other satyr to the size a strapping adult male. She then conjured up a suit of armor around his body, making him resemble Metalhead to a great extent."

"There," said Bright. "Now the Society will think Newel and Doren are Snitch and Metalhead."

"Let's hope," said Warren. "Bright and Clover, guide Newel and Doren into the house, then if everything seems all right, return to us after five minutes."

"Got it," said Clover.

"Good luck, you guys," said Seth, as the masquerading satyrs and fairy angels ventured towards the house. After a few minutes, which felt longer than they should have been, Bright and Clover flew back to the group.

"They should be fine," said Bright. "The house is stocked with junk food. Plus the TV gets over five-hundred channels and there's thousands of DVDs and video games."

"Pray that there's not power outage," said Warren.

"That doesn't sound so bad," said Seth. "Maybe I could talk to Doren and convince him into switching places with me."

Kendra huffed. "If you want all that so badly, go home to your bedroom."

Warren whistled, drawing everyone's attention. "Thank you. Now, if you're all ready, we can go and pay a little overdue visit to our friends Matthew and Ashley."

Once again, Warren pulled out the Translocator and twisted the sides to prepare for another transport. Bright and Clover disappeared, prompting Kendra, Seth and Raxtus to all place their hands on the artifact. Warren then used the Translocator to warp the group to another, unfamiliar location.

"Where are we?" asked Seth, as he released his hand from the Translocator and gazed around at the countryside.

"California," replied Warren. "About a forty minute ride on Raxtus' back from where we need to be."

"That's my cue," said Raxtus, leaning downwards to allow for Kendra, Seth and Warren to climb onto his back. Once they had boarded, Raxtus took off into the night sky.

Both Kendra and Seth were feeling highly uneasy about this expedition. They could recall their previous encounter with Matthew and Ashley, and knew for a fact that those two could by no means be taken lightly. Sure, the Knights had Bright and Clover's magic, Warren's combat skills and Raxtus' strength, but Kendra and Seth didn't have any exceptional attributes in regards to fighting.

Before long, Raxtus had reached a large, cliff-side mansion overlooking a mountain range. From what Seth grasped, the place could've been a ski lodge during the winter time given its large size.

"Another mansion?" asked Seth. "How many does this make? Three?"

"There's more where this one came from," noted Warren. "If only the Knights of the Dawn handed out mansions like this one."

"Are there no distractor spells here either?" asked Kendra.

"They must not expect us to be coming," said Raxtus. "Even after the incident in Denton. Guess they've figured that it takes more than a mere spell to keep us away, so they probably don't even bother."

"Either that, or we've built up an immunity to those spells," commented Warren.

"So what's the plan?" asked Raxtus, as he rendered himself invisible and landed upon the patio of the mansion.

"Matthew and Ashley, if they're really here, must be asleep by now," answered Warren. "We'll sneak inside and locate the two. If they're sound asleep, Bright and Clover can conjure up spells to retrain their magic. If they're powerless and under our control, we can safely transport them back to Fablehaven and lock them in the dungeon."

"What if they have a guard?" asked Kendra. "Like Metalhead."

"They shouldn't need a guard," said Warren. "Snitch has no powers with which he can protect himself, justifying his guard."

"Okay," said Seth. "Let's do this,"

Bright and Clover were called into action, and used their powers to magically transport the group, sans Raxtus through the locked sliding door into the kitchen.

The kitchen itself was quite large, but fitting for the size of the whole mansion. Ever so cautiously, as to refrain from making too much noise, the group stepped through the kitchen slowly and softly, as to make sure they would not risk waking anyone up.

Coming out through the kitchen, the group ventured down the hallway. As they passed by several rooms, Kendra peered into each one, including a dining room, rec room and a den. She didn't get much of glimpse of any particular room, but could no doubt tell they were empty.

Knowing that the true danger was awaiting them on the second floor, the group made their way to the bottom of the staircase and boldly proceeded to climb it.

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, Warren led the group over to a door. He then twisted the knob, opened the door a crack, and peered in, then pulled his head back. "No, this bedroom is empty." he whispered, before leading the group to another door.

The second door Warren tried was actually the door to the bathroom, while the third was just a linen closet. The fourth, however, was indeed the one they had been searching for, as Warren was quick to draw his head back.

"They're in here," whispered Warren. "Get ready, fairies."

As Bright and Clover stepped over to the door, a feeling of dread overcame Seth. He could sense that something was wrong, but couldn't explain what it was. "Careful," he whispered.

"We just gotta get within range and unleash our magic upon them to make this work," whispered Bright. "This'd be nearly impossible if they were awake."

Kendra, Seth and Warren stood and watched as Bright and Clover walked into the bedroom. Situated against the far wall was the king-sized bed on which Matthew and Ashley were both sawing logs. Bright and Clover each walked around to a side of the bed; Bright ending up next to Matthew, while Clover came around to Ashley.

Bright and Clover began to store up colorful energy in their fists. However, something appeared to be grabbing onto their bodies from the floor, causing them to lose their balance and fall to the ground. At that point, Ashley and Matthew sat upwards, glaring around the room furiously.

"Thought you could sneak up on us?" roared Ashley. "Well, it's not gonna work this time!"

"Jake detected you downstairs and warned us," said Matthew.

Prying her eyes away from Ashley and Matthew, Kendra could see that Bright and Clover had been wrapped up by rugs at the sides of the bed and were struggling to break free.

"Begone!" shouted Matthew, as a bolt of lightning flashed out from the palm of his hand and hit Warren, knocking him out of the doorway.

"Warren!" gasped Kendra, decking out from the doorway to get a good glimpse of her cousin.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked Matthew, as he leapt out of bed and darted towards the doorway, near where Kendra and Seth were tending to Warren.

"This is too easy," said Matthew, as he cracked his knuckles. As he released his fingers, sparks of energy flowed between his hands.

"NO!" shouted Bright, as a beam of rainbow-colored energy hit Matthew. Consequently, Matthew's body turned entirely to stone.

"Oh yeah?" asked Ashley, who appeared to be keeping her cool.

Before their eyes, the group watched as Matthew, despite being turned to stone, transformed back into a natural being of flesh and blood.

"Your pathetic fairy magic cannot withhold me now," he said, smiling wickedly.

"What do you mean?" asked Seth.

"Ever wonder what Oblivion did with that magic he stole from Kendra?" asked Ashley. "He used it to increase not only his power, but ours as well. When his plan is carried out, we'll own the world."

"We were supposed to get a good night's sleep," said Matthew. "We've got a big day in the morning, and Oblivion doesn't want us slacking off. Of course, if we were to bring him a couple of heads, he might be willing to make a big exception."

"Then what are you waiting for?" asked Ashley. "Show them what you've got."

Matthew snapped his fingers and what appeared to be a glowing, black rope appeared, floating in mid-air. The rope quickly wrapped itself around Bright, tying her arms against her body. It then did the same to Clover, and extended further to encase Warren's body as well. Before Seth and Kendra could react, the rope, which felt more like an unnatural force than an actual material, had wrapped itself around the two Sorensons as well.

"That was too easy," said Matthew, just as Seth tore himself free from the peculiar rope. "Hey, what're you doing?"

Matthew then conjured up a second rope, which wrapped itself firmly around Seth's body. However, like with the first, Seth tore away the rope as if it were made of toilet paper.

"Why isn't it working on him?" retorted Ashley.

"His stupid shadow charmer-ness or whatever must be repelling the rope," snarled Matthew. "Though I don't know why."

"Then I'll handle him," said Ashley, as she transformed her body into that of a gray wolf. Not knowing what else to do, Seth darted out of the way as Ashley lunged at him and crashed headfirst into the wall.

"Vasilis!" squealed Kendra. "Use it!"

Seth didn't have to think twice, and wasted no time in removing the mythical sword from the scabbard on Kendra's back. Matthew shot a bolt of magic directly at Seth, but due to the fact that he was grasping Vasilis, the bolt had no affect on him.

"Enough!" hissed Ashley, as she lunged towards Seth, who retaliated by stabbing the sword directly through her neck, causing her to collapse onto the floor, barely capable of moving.

"You are _not _getting away with this!" snarled Matthew, who sounded absolutely furious.

Just then, the skylight on the ceiling shattered, and it was none other than Raxtus who came barrelling down, landing before Matthew. Before Matthew could react, Raxtus swung his tail at him, flinging the sorcerer into the wall.

"We win again!" laughed Seth, relieved to see Raxtus as he removed the sword from Ashley's body.

"Oh yeah?" blared Ashley, as her body began to expand. It soon got too large for the entire hallway, which began to crack and crumble as her transforming figure pushed outwards against the walls, ceiling and floor.

"No don't!" exclaimed Matthew. "Not in here!"

Seth wasn't sure what it was, but he wasted no time in tearing off the rope that the others were all tied up in. As Ashley's body grew and became more reptilian in appearance, Bright and Clover used their magic to whisk the group outside of the house. They then watched in fear as Ashley, now a large, red dragon, burst out of the roof, demolishing the house in the process.

"We're okay," said Matthew, as he appeared next to Ashley's foot along with Jake. "But the house..."

"Forget the stupid house!" howled Ashley, whose voice sounded far more menacing. "I'm going to destroy these losers once and for all!"

Ashley took in a deep breath and unleashed a wave of fire at the heroes. Clover retaliated by conjuring up an energy field, successfully repelling the fire.

"Stupid fairies!" hissed Matthew, as he used his magic to send Bright and Clover flying off and out of control.

"No!" cried Kendra.

"Quiet!" shouted Matthew, as he shot Kendra with a peculiar bolt of blue energy. The blast was painless, but it left Kendra immobile, completely unable to move or even talk.

"I've got to do something," said Raxtus, as he flapped his wings and flew over near Ashley's face. In comparison, she was roughly the same size as Navarog.

"Beat it, shrimp," roared Ashley, as she attempted to blast the fairy dragon with her fiery breath, barely missing him.

"I'll get him," said Matthew, shooting a bolt of black lightning towards Raxtus. Between Ashley's fire streams and Matthew's black bolts, Raxtus found his body getting singed by barely avoiding their attacks.

"Easy!" cried Jake, backing away from Matthew. "You'll hit Ashley!"

Kendra, Seth and Warren all wanted to help, but they didn't know how. One wrong move and Raxtus would be toast.

"Hi-yah!" called Warren, as he lunged at Matthew and successfully kicked him onto his stomach, cancelling out his lightning attacks.

"Hey!" roared Ashley, setting her sights on where Warren was standing.

"Forget him," said Raxtus, allowing his body to float in the air slightly below Ashley's head. "Aren't you gonna deal with me first?"

"Why not?" asked Ashley, as she unleashed a wave of fire in Raxtus' direction. Fortunately, Raxtus was quick to dodge, causing the fire to shoot down to the ground, making direct contact with Matthew's fallen body.

"**No**!" shrieked Ashley, as she bent down and patted out Matthew's burning body with her massive claw. When she removed her claw, Matthew appeared to be all burned up and motionless.

"I think we should get out of here," said Seth, noticing all the smoke that was foaming from Ashley's mouth like rabies.

"DIE!" screamed Ashley, as she unleashed a huge wave of fire down towards the heroes.

Before long, a heavy stream of water shot back against Ashley's fire and partially forced itself down her throat. The group turned to see that the water had been provided by Bright and Clover.

"Come on!" said Warren, pulling out the Translocator. "Let's go!"

Just as Ashley recovered from swallowing too much water, the Knights of the Dawn and their friends all gripped onto the Translocator. Seth placed Kendra's frozen hand on the Translocator, and all together, they immediately used the artifact to escape from Ashley and return back home to Fablehaven.


	19. Danger Rising

**Chapter 19 – Danger Rising**

The Translocator worked its magic, sending everybody who had been holding it back to the yard at Fablehaven.

"Thank god we got out of there," said Seth, gazing at his sister, who was still unable to move. But what about Kendra?"

"I'll give it a shot," said Bright, unleashing her magical power upon Kendra. After a few seconds, Kendra was able to move herself freely.

Kendra gasped. "Thank you. I was really scared."

"So this is Fablehaven, huh?" said Jake.

"J-Jake?" stuttered Kendra. "Where?"

"Right here," said Raxtus, holding up Jake in his claw for the others to see.

"What's _he_ doing here?" asked Warren.

"Just thought he might prove useful," said Raxtus. "So I forced him through with the Translocator."

"Let me go," said Jake, struggling to break free from Raxtus' grasp, but having no luck.

"All right," said Kendra, "we've got some questions for you. Exactly how powerful did Matthew and Ashley become?"

Jake squirmed. "Why should I say?"

"Look, we know what Oblivion's up to," said Warren. "Don't you?"

"Yeah, he's going to awaken Tritanoss and with Ashley's assistance, they're gonna attack the Fairy Kingdom, claim the instruments, and rule the world."

"And what will he do to Fablehaven?" asked Kendra.

"He'll probably destroy it or something," said Jake. "How should I know?"

"And when's this all supposed to happen?" asked Seth.

"Soon enough," said Jake. "Once he succeeds, you'll never stop him."

"Jake," said Warren, "where are we right now?"

"Uh, Fablehaven?" replied Jake. "How dumb do you think I am?"

"Right. And is there any reason for Oblivion to look out for you when he comes to destroy the place? With you on it?"

"Well, let me think. If he can carry on his plan without me, he's not gonna seek me out. And if he destroys Fablehaven in the process... I'll be killed!"

"So you can either help us," said Warren. "Or we can toss you in the dungeon. Till either you die of old age, or Oblivion offs you."

"I don't want to die! I was supposed to bask in the lap of luxury once Oblivion seized control of the world!"

"That's what Snitch said," said Seth. "Now we caught him, and he's a prisoner in the dungeon. Wanna be his cellmate?"

"No way!" said Jake. "I hate grovelins!"

"Then you'll help us?" asked Seth.

"What do you want me to do?" asked Jake. I can't take on your enemies. Even if I wanted too! They're far too powerful!"

"We want answers," said Bright. "Matthew said something about having a big day in the morning. What was that about?"

Jake sighed. "We were supposed to take a plane to Tokyo and rendezvous with Oblivion."

"Tokyo?" asked Warren. "Why there?"

"Japan is near the Mariana Trench," said Jake hesitantly. "It's where Tritanoss is said to dwell."

"Is that true?" asked Kendra.

"I recall Stan mentioning something like that at one point," said Warren. "It was only a rumor though, but it wasn't too far-fetched."

"And just how does Oblivion intend on awakening Tritanoss?" asked Seth.

"With that magic he stole from Kendra. His plan is to travel down to the bottom of the trench, seek out the sleeping demon and awaken him with his excessive power."

"So let's say Oblivion _does _awaken Tritanoss," said Kendra. "How's he going to control him? Isn't Tritanoss supposedly huge?"

"That's where Ashley comes in," said Jake. "See, with enough concentration, Ashley can develop the ability to transform into any animal she encounters provided she focuses on it enough. Originally, her power only worked on non-magical creatures. But after being super-powered by Kendra's magic, she's now capable of becoming a magical creature as well, like that dragon."

"So if Ashley turns herself into a replica of Tritanoss," said Kendra, "she'll essentially be able to carry out Oblivion's plan in lieu of the actual demon?"

"Pretty much," said Jake. "It's too much trouble to try and control a demon like Tritanoss, so this method'll be a whole lot easier."

"We've got to stop her now," said Kendra. "While we still can."

"How?" asked Warren. "You saw how big she got. It'd be like trying to stop Navarog."

"And who know where she's taken off to," said Clover. "Now that she destroyed her own home, she's probably gone already, looking for another hiding spot or something. We can't waste any more time trying to hunt her down."

"That plane you guys were gonna take," said Warren. "Where and when does it depart?"

"San Francisco," replied Jake. "But I don't know anything about the actual flight. I never even saw the tickets. All I know is that the flight is sometime tomorrow morning."

"Do you at least know the airport?" asked Seth. "The one in San Francisco or even Tokyo?"

"I told ya, I know nothing about that."

"Was it at least a direct flight?" asked Warren. "No stopovers or anything?"

"I think so," said Jake.

"Okay," said Warren. "I'm going to go online and see if I can dig up any information this alleged flight that Ashley might be taking. Might be the best chance we have at tracking her down."

"Why not just go straight to the airport in Tokyo?" asked Kendra. "You know, after finding out where Ashley's plane lands."

"It'd be better to try and track her down while she's trying to get onto the plane by herself," said Warren, "rather than while she's exiting the plane, where Oblivion and possibly other Society members would likely be meeting her."

"If we find out that she's not on the plane, we'll have wasted a lot of time," said Seth.

"If that's the case," stated Warren, "then we should just use the Translocator to travel to Japan and figure things out from there. By intercepting Ashley before she can get to Japan, we'd have the upper hand. If she's not on the plane, we can always use the Translocator to instantly travel there."

Everyone went inside the house, but chose to continue on in their mission, rather than wake the others. After Warren got the information that he needed for the flight, he left a note explaining the situation thus far for the others to read when they awaken in the morning.

After everyone freshened up, the group used the Translocator to return to the spot in the California they had just previously travelled to. Jake, had now had a leash strapped to his neck, was being taken along for the ride. As they materialized, Kendra and Set both felt as though they were being watched. Had Ashley moved on, or was she in hiding, anticipating their return to the scene of the crime?

"Do you think she's gone?" asked Kendra.

"I hope so," said Warren. "Really, the only reason I brought us back here is because it's the closest place to San Francisco that the Translocator can take us."

"What if she comes back?" asked Seth.

"Best bet would be to escape again using the Translocator," replied Warren. "I don't know where Ashley could've gone, but I propose that we do refrain from flying to San Francisco, just in case Ashley spots us in the air."

"Does that mean we've gotta walk to town?" asked Seth.

"I really don't wanna walk," said Jake. You _could _use Matthew's car. That is, if it wasn't destroyed when the house collapsed. It's not like he's going to miss it."

The group travelled back towards the demolished mansion. It was barely recognizable, with several large beams of wood and shingles jutting out from all the debris. To think that all of this could have been caused by a woman who had just lost her temper was truly dreadful.

"At least Navarog had the courtesy to transform outside," muttered Warren, eyeing the wreckage.

"Don't tell me the car was in a garage," said Kendra. "It was probably destroyed."

"The cars are parked on the driveway round the front," said Jake. "It's probably still there."

The group took a trip around to where the front of the house one was, and discovered a black BMW parked on the curve of a U-shaped driveway, which would've been where the path to the front of the house led to.

"This car's all covered in dust from the wreckage," said Kendra, noticing the layer of particles that were coating the car.

"This isn't the time for a car wash," said Warren, stepping up to the driver's door. "You got a set of keys on you, Jake?"

"You see any pockets on me?"

"Look, the last thing I want to do is set off the alarm by breaking the window."

"Do what you want to this car," said Jake. "Matthew was a jerk anyway. Ashley's worse, though. If one of them had to go, I'd rather it'd been her."

"Allow me," said Bright, as she waved her hand over the door handle and used her magic to unlock it.

"That works," said Warren, as he grasped the handle, pulled the door open and sat down on the seat.

"Need help with the engine?" asked Clover.

"No thanks," replied Warren. "It's be easier if I just hot-wired this thing."

"While you're doing that, I'll give this car a good rinse."

Clover then used her magic to blast the car with a jet of water, washing off all the dirt that was covering it. She made sure to run around the entire vehicle, just to ensure that the whole thing was cleaned. Just as the last of the water trickled down the side, the engine revved up, signifying that Warren had gotten it started.

"I'll follow from above," said Raxtus, as Kendra got in the car and sat down next to Warren. Likewise, Seth got in the back seat along with the fairies, who opted to remain their as their full size.

The car drove off from the demolished house and was soon on the main road, heading west towards San Francisco. According to Warren, they were roughly a forty-five minute drive from the city. Kendra glanced at the digital clock on the dashboard, which read 2:17 AM, then recalled that they were in a timezone three hours behind Fablehaven. Having been gotten up over an hour ago, Kendra wanted to just go back to sleep. However, the issue at hand left her too antsy to do so.

At 3:01, Warren announced that they had arrived in San Francisco. Though they had just passed the city limits, Kendra didn't recognize anything. Certainly no landmarks like those she had seen on TV. The continued driving down the highway through the city, until they came upon San Francisco International Airport.

Within moments, Warren had pulled into a parking garage, where he found a spot for Matthew's car on the fourth level. Once the group had stepped out of the car, Kendra looked around for Raxtus.

"Raxtus?" she called. "Where are you?"

"Right here," boomed the fairy dragon, who was standing nearby in the middle of the lane. The ceiling of the floor they were on was just high enough to accommodate Raxtus' body.

"We've gotta go inside the terminal," said Warren. "We'll be a few hours. Can you wait around for us out here? The fairies will keep you posted."

"No problem," said Raxtus.

From that point, Kendra, Seth, Warren, Bright, Clover and Jake all walked out from the parking garage and over to the terminal building, which they entered through a pair of sliding doors.

The Sorensons and the fairies sat down in a row of chairs, while Warren stood in line to redeem their boarding passes. As they waited, Seth and Kendra made sure to keep an eye out in case Ashley spotted them. As far as they could tell, she was nowhere in sight.

A few minutes later, Warren returned with three boarding passes. "I'm pretty sure that this is the flight Jake was talking about. There won't be another flight to Japan for twelve more hours after this one takes off."

"Did you get first class?" asked Seth.

Warren laughed. "It was tempting, but then I remembered that Ashley considers herself to be holier than thou, and would be taking it herself. So no, we're taking coach. The less of a chance Ashley has of spotting us, the better."

"What time's the flight?" asked Kendra.

"Six forty-five," replied Warren. "We've got more than three hours to wait until it leaves, so it's best we just go back to the car and sleep them off."

"Can't we just stay here?" asked Seth. "I bet there's an arcade somewhere around here."

"It's better we don't. We've avoided her so far, but if Ashley _**is **_on this flight, we don't want her coming by and spotting us while we're waiting around. We've got a much better chance of waiting away the time elsewhere."

The group then headed back into the car and with the help of Bright and Clover's magic, fell asleep. At precisely five forty-five, they all woke up.

"Let's get going," said Warren, as everybody climbed out of their seats and exited the car. They then made their way back into the airport, which was now business than it had been two hours ago.

"You didn't get tickets for us, right?" asked Clover, as the group gathered around in a corner.

"That's the plan," said Warren. "Your job will be to scout out the plane and see if Ashley's flying on it or not. If she is, our best bet is to move in an attack her head on, then escape with the Translocator. If Ashley's confined on a plane, she might not even get a chance to fight back."

"And just how will we attack Ashley?" asked Seth. "Isn't she supposed to have a resistance to fairy magic, especially now that she got that unwanted power increase?"

"We'd best resort to physical force in this situation," said Warren. "Fortunately for us, she killed off Matthew, so we don't have to deal with him. But like I said, if we can escape with the Translocator, we won't get into any real trouble. I don't like being too sneaky, but it may be the wisest choice in this situation."

"You're just looking for excuses," snorted Clover. "Admit it, you love being sneaky, Warren."

"What about airport security?" asked Kendra. "We can't just bring all our weapons on board a plane! We'll get arrested."

"The fairies are going to help us sneak our weapons onto the plane. However, we're not going to have them retrieved until we absolutely need them. Got it, fairies?"

"You bet," said Bright. "We want to stop the society just as much as you do. We'll do whatever it takes, even if it involves breaking some rules."

"What about me?" asked Jake. "You can't just leave me?"

"Ooh," said Seth. "We can't just leave a datchit behind, can we?"

"Oh, please!" retorted Jake. "Everyone sees me as a poodle, so that means..."

"You're riding in the cargo hold," said Kendra, who could help but smile.

"In a little crate," added Seth.

"With all those pets," said Bright.

"On a long trans-Pacific flight," said Clover.

"With no in-flight movie," added Warren.

"No!" shrieked Jake. "I am NOT riding in the stupid cargo hold!"

"Tough," said Warren, tugging on Jake's leash.

"NO!" hissed Jake. "No no no no no!"

"You should really consider obedience school for that thing," said a woman, who was walking past."

"Duly noted," said Warren.

"Obedience school?" growled Jake. "Why I..."

"I can't take this any more," said Bright, as Jake continued to scream, which to everyone else in the airport, sounded like barking.

"Just shut up," said Clover, as she waved her hand over Jake, sprinkling her magic upon the datchit. Within seconds, Jake collapsed to the floor and fell asleep.

"That ought to shut him up," said Clover, as Warren scooped Jake up in his arms.

"Excuse me," said a man who had been walking by. "But that dog was just yapping his mouth off a moment ago, and now he's asleep in your arms. Is he all right?"

"He's... on medication," muttered Warren. "He'll be fine."

Not wanting to wait around by the gathering crowd, the group made their way over to the gate through which they would be boarding. Once they got to the front of the line, Warren made sure to rent a crate in which he could put Jake in. As the crate went along the conveyor belt and through the wall, Kendra couldn't help but imagine Jake would still be kicking and yelling had he not been put to sleep.

The group had now reached the point of the gate that one could only enter if they possessed a boarding pass.

"Are you girls ready?" asked Kendra, looking over at Bright and Clover.

"Yup," replied Bright. "We're going to follow you in secret and guide Raxtus over to your plane. He should be joining us before the plane even takes off."

"Our weapons?" asked Warren, whispering into Clover's ear. "And the Translocator?"

"We've got them in storage. Just give the word and we'll bring them to you."

"One last thing," said Seth. "Did anyone see Ashley at all?"

"Can't say we have," said Clover. "But who knows whether she saw us or not."

"See you two later," said Kendra as she, Seth and Warren all passed through the security check, then made the way down a long twisting passageway, which ultimately led them onto the plane. If their information was correct, this was indeed the same flight that Ashley was supposedly on.


	20. Plane Ride

**Chapter 20 – Plane Ride**

Just as Kendra, Seth and Warren stepped onto the partially filled-up plane, they were greeted by a cheerful stewardess.

"Why hello!" said the stewardess. "May I see your boarding passes please?"

The trio then flashed their boarding passes at the steward, who glanced at each of them and nodded.

"Row 26, seats 4, 5 and 6," said the steward, pointing towards the rear of the plane. "Right down there."

Kendra, Seth and Warren made their way towards the back of the plane, counting the row numbers on the seats as they passed each one of them. They failed to notice Ashley sitting in any of the unoccupied seats.

Within less than a minute, they had arrived at aisle 26, where three empty seats awaited them. Seth immediately jumped into the window seat, then looked over at Kendra and Warren. "Window's mine!"

"We're not going the whole flight, you know," said Warren, sitting down in the aisle seat, while Kendra sat between him and Seth. "Once we either deal with you-know-who, or if she's nowhere to be found, we're out of here."

"Why are we sitting around here, then?" asked Seth. "Shouldn't we be looking for her?"

"It's better we wait until the plane has taken off," said Warren. "If we find Ashley, she could probably just escape somehow. "Bright and Clover can look for her right now, even."

Bright and Clover, now in their diminutive forms, both materialized atop Kendra's lap.

"You need something?" asked Bright in a soft tone.

"We'll use this," said Warren, producing a pad of paper and a pen from his carry-on bag. He then proceeded to write down _Once people have finished boarding the plane, search for Ashley._

Bright and Clover then read the message and both nodded.

"Now what?" asked Seth.

"We've just got to wait until the plane takes off," said Kendra. "Then Bright and Clover can do their thing."

After waiting around for roughly ten more minutes, the plane started to move, The pilot's voice came on the intercom, asking for everyone to put on their seat belts, and for those who experience trouble to ask for assistance from a member of the flight crew. After the plane had taxied around the airport for a minute, it sped up down the runway and was soon off the ground, rising up towards the sky.

Seth gazed out the window, looking down at the ground as the plane rose high and higher. Within almost no time at all, the plane had risen above the clouds, and had started flying over the Pacific Ocean. Before the group knew it, a stewardess came down the aisle wheeling a cart, prompting the fairies to render themselves invisible.

"Breakfast will be served shortly," said the stewardess, turning to face Warren, Kendra and Seth. "May I get you folks anything to drink?"

"Three orange juices, please," said Warren, prompting the stewardess to pour three glasses of orange juice, which she then placed on their trays.

"Here, you go. Enjoy!"

Taking a sip from her glass, Kendra grabbed Warren's paper and pen, then proceeded to write something down, which read _Should the fairies start looking for Ashley?_

"Yes," replied Warren upon laying his eyes on the note.

"We're on our way," blurted Bright's invisible voice, as the two unseen fairies flew away from where the knights were seated.

"How long you think they'll be?" asked Seth.

"Hard to say," replied Warren. "I give them twenty minutes. Less if they rule out that she's probably in first class."

"If she's even here at all," added Kendra.

After a few minutes passed, the group was alerted by the fairies' return once the duo reappeared upon Kendra's lap.

"She's here!" squealed Clover. "In first class, just like you predicted."

"What'd you do with her?" asked Seth.

"Nothing," replied Bright. "We weren't sure _what_ we should have done."

"Yeah," added Clover. "There's a good chance she's resistant to our magic after getting her power enhanced. If we'd tried something, we'd only let her know we're here."

"We could, you know, poison her," chimed in Seth. "Like, through her food."

"I rather not risk getting the airline in trouble," noted Warren. "Besides, she could probably just transform into some animal that can resist poison and wait if off. And it wouldn't surprise me if she's got an actual antidote on her."

"What are you going to do?" asked Kendra. "If she meets up with Oblivion after getting off this flight, we may never stop her."

"That's why I'm prepared to just take her out right here and now, then make an escape," said Warren.

"If it's gotta be done," said Seth.

"You sure about this?" asked Kendra.

"I don't see any other choice. If this is our last chance to go after her without any protection, I'm ready to take the risk.

"Should we come with you?" asked Kendra.

"Yes," said Warren. "It's best we stick together in case something goes wrong."

Warren, Kendra and Seth all got up from out of their seats and stepped out into the aisle. As they stepped down towards the front of the coach section, a stewardess walked up to them.

"May I help you?" she asked. "The washrooms are in the back if that's what you're looking for."

"Uh, we're looking for someone we know," sputtered Warren. "We'll only be a moment.

"Don't take too long," said the stewardess. "We aren't keen on passengers loitering in the aisle, especially when it's almost time to bring out the breakfast cart."

"Understood," said Warren, making his way to the curtain at the front of the section. As he placed his hand upon the cloth, several people in the front-most rows began giving him strange looks.

"Let's do this," said Warren as he slid open the curtain leading to the first class section and stepped through it. Kendra and Seth followed him, dreading the thought that Ashley was for certain sitting in one of those very seats that lay up ahead.

"Where is she?" asked Warren, in a voice that was almost a whisper.

"A few rows down on your right," hushed Bright, who along with Clover, was keeping herself invisible and hidden from view.

As the group slowly made their way down the first class section, passengers that saw them walking past began to give them wary looks, much like the folks in coach.

"Almost there," said Clover. "You ready?"

"Okay," said Warren. "I need Vasilis..."

"**Excuse me!**" boomed a voice that startled everyone in the first class section. Kendra, Seth and Warren all turned around and saw several stewards and stewardesses standing before the curtain, looking fairly perturbed. "Excuse me, but what are you three doing here?"

"Well, you see..." said Warren.

"Out of my way," said Ashley, who had gotten out of her seat and pushed her way past the knights, elbowing them harshly. It was over. Their whole plan to take Ashley by surprise had been ruined.

"I need to use the washroom," said Ashley to a steward.

"Right at the back," said the steward, moving so that Ashley could get by.

"As for you," said a stewardess, pointing at the Knights, "I want you three to return to your seats immediately!"

Without saying another word, Warren led Kendra and Seth back through the curtain into coach. However, once they reached their row, they continued past it and slipped through the curtain at the back of coach. Before them stood three doors, one leading to a back room which was labelled "STAFF ONLY". The other two doors were the washrooms; men's and women's.

"She's a terrible liar," said Warren, pointing up to the green light above the ladies' room. The light over the men's was also green.

Warren placed his hand on the warbled knob of the door leading to the back room. "The door's broken. It's not even closed tightly."

The group stepped through the door and into a prep area, where a gorilla was fighting off a steward by hurling him across the room. "Don't ever tell me what to do!" yelled Ashley.

"You!" shouted Warren.

"I don't have time for this!" roared Ashley, as she scampered over to a service door. Using her intense strength, she ripped the handle off the door and it flung open revealing an exit to the vast, blue sky.

"Vasilis!" exclaimed Warren, as the fairies used their magic to transport the sword into Warren's hand.

"Bye!" snorted Ashley, as she leaped out through the door.

"I'll stop her," said Warren. "I can fly, so wait here."

As Warren leaped out the door, Seth and Kendra followed him to the door himself, stopping before they could fall out. Enduring the air that was blasting through the door, Kendra looked down, and could see nothing but clouds drifting beneath the plane. Neither she nor Seth could see where Warren or Ashley could have gone.

"What happened?" asked Clover.

"I don't know," said Seth, his heart pounding with fear like a drum. "Perhaps you could go look for them?"

"We'll be back," said Bright, as she and Clover flew out the door and towards the rear of the plane, to the point where Kendra and Seth could not see them.

"Oh no," muttered Kendra. "What if Ashley destroyed Warren somehow? I can't hear what's going on outside because of all the noise from the door."

All of a sudden, Kendra and Seth could hear a powerful screech of crunched metal coming from the rear of the plane. It was followed by a tremor that was powerful enough to shake the entire plane.

"What's happening?" shrieked Kendra.

Just then, the plane began to tilt forward. Within seconds, the degree of the tilt tipped lower and lower. Kendra and Seth both lost their footing as they fell down to the floor and through the doorway, until the entire plane was plummeting down in a tailspin.

As Kendra and Seth slipped into the coach section, they each managed to grab a seat handle towards the back of the plane. Everyone on the plane was screaming for their lives. But Seth and Kendra were not wearing seat belts, never minding the fact that they weren't even in their seats.

"WE'RE GONNA DIE!" screamed a passenger, whose voice Kendra and Seth could barely hear amongst all the crying and shouting from the rest of the plane.

At that moment, the atmosphere of the plane vanished. Kendra and Seth were suddenly free floating in the sky. Looking down, they could see that they were actually seated on Raxtus. Beneath them, they could see the plane spiralling down through the clouds below, it's entire tail section had apparently been torn off.

"What happened?" gasped Kendra.

"I whisked you two off that plane," said Bright. "It was the only thing I could do."

"What about the plane?" asked Seth. "All those people!"

"We can't help them," said Clover. "Our magic isn't powerful enough. And we've still gotta deal with Ashley."

"Look out!" shrieked Bright, as Raxtus barely fluttered away from a massive blast of fire that shot out from their rear. Raxtus turned around, just as Ashley, now in her dragon form, soared up towards them.

"You!" she hissed. "You made me kill my husband!"

"I didn't _make_ you do anything," retorted Raxtus.

Ashley growled, and responded by exhaling another wave of fire towards Raxtus, who nearly got singed by it as he flew off to avoid it.

"Leave them alone!" shouted Warren, as he flew up towards Ashley and pierced through her chest with Vasilis.

"You think that _toothpick_ will stop me?" she roared, as Warren yanked the sword out of Ashley's chest, just before she could swipe at him with her claw.

"We've gotta get out of here!" cried Kendra.

"But we can't leave Warren!" exclaimed Clover.

"But how do we stop Ashley?" asked Seth, as Raxtus continued to dodge Ashley's fire attacks. "Even Vasilis isn't working on her!"

"Ashley may be evil, but she's not a true demon," said Bright. "It's true power won't work on her. Against Ashley, Vasilis is not better than any other sword."

"Can't you fairies stop her?" asked Seth.

"I don't know," replied Clover. "She's super-powerful now, and I don't think the magic of two fairy angels will be strong enough."

"But if we don't stop her now..." began Bright.

"Okay," said Clover. "Let's do it."

Bright and Clover held their arms out towards Ashley, palm facing forward. Together they unleashed waves of rainbow-colored and green sparkles directly at Ashley. The magic began to encompass the dragon's massive body, but soon fizzled out upon contact.

"You fairies are pathetic," said Ashley, as the fairies refrained from bestowing their magic upon the shape-shifter. Just as soon as they finished, Ashley drew back her tail, then slammed it directly at Raxtus. The fairy dragon was knocked back, and in all the commotion, Kendra and Seth fell off of Raxtus' back, down towards the sky beneath them.

"Help!" screamed Kendra, as she and Seth fell down through the clouds, grasping onto each others arms. A fall from this altitude would definitely kill them. The last time Kendra had fallen from the sky, she actually lived, but at least then she had control of the Essence of Immunity.

Looking upwards, Kendra and Seth watched as Ashley blasted Raxtus and the fairies with her fiery breath.

"NOOOO!" shrieked Seth. He had every reason to fret. The fairies, who had access to the Translocator, were their only ticket to safely. And now, they were certainly too weak to rescue Kendra and Seth from falling.

"Gotcha!" snapped Warren, as Kendra and Seth each felt a hand gripping one of their forearms. The Sorenson siblings looked between them and saw Warren, who had successfully stopped them in mid-fall. Warren then proceeded to pull both Seth and Kendra upwards almost effortlessly.

"You saved us!" gasped Kendra. "But how?"

"Tanu's strength potion," replied Warren. "We owe him one."

"Thanks, Super Warren," said Seth. "But what about the others?"

"Leave it to me," said Warren, as he flew up towards Raxtus and the fairies. All three of them were still hanging in there, but appeared to be severely singed.

"You guys okay?" asked Seth.

"Take my bag," said Warren, instructing Kendra and Seth to dismount from his body. He then placed them atop Raxtus' partially charred back. "Use the healing potions."

"Enough!" shrieked Ashley, as she tried to blast Raxtus with more fire. "I have the power too destroy you right now!"

"Think you're so tough?" asked Warren, as he flew up towards Ashley's head. "Betcha can't catch me!"

Ashley hissed, allowing smoke to come blasting out of her nostrils like a pair of chimneys, and attempted to breath fire directly at Warren as he soared around her body.

"Forget you," said Ashley, trying not to pay attention to Warren. "Who do you think you are? Peter Pan?" She then lay her eyes upon Kendra and Seth, who were in the midst of preparing healing potions for their weakened comrades.

Warren then zipped behind Ashley, swerved back towards her, and slammed directly into the dragon's backside. As if on cue, Ashley responded by roaring in pain.

"You stupid..." she muttered, trying to swat Warren away from her back using her tail.

"Hurry," said Kendra, as she watched Bright and Clover each down a healing potion that they had retrieved from Warren's bag.

"I think I can do it," said Bright, as she wiped her lips. She then concentrated fiercely and closed her eyes. Within seconds, the Translocator appeared in Kendra's hands.

"Warren!" shouted Seth. "Come here!"

"The Translocator?" exclaimed Ashley. "No you don't!"

Ashley diverted her focus away from Warren and set her sights upon Kendra, Seth, Bright, Clover and Raxtus. She shifted her entire body towards them, attempting to grab the Translocator with her claw.

"I don't think so," said Warren, as he grabbed hold of Ashley's arm stopping it in place while in mid-swerve.

"Let go!" hissed Ashley, as she then jerked her arm forward, pulling Warren along with it.

"What happened?" asked Seth.

"I think Warren's strength just wore off," commented Bright.

"Good," said Ashley, who then proceeded to grab Warren with her other claw. "Now I can finish you the easy way. If I can't have the Translocator, I can at least finish off your friend here."

"What do we do?" asked Kendra. "We can't just leave Warren here to die."

"All right," said Clover. "We'll make you a deal. "Release Warren, unharmed, and we'll give you the Translocator."

"Really?" asked Ashley. "Well in that case, you've got yourselves a deal."

"Clover, no!" said Kendra, who dreaded the thought of the Society getting their hands on the Translocator.

"Warren's life is too important," said Clover. "But Ashley, you have to release Warren first."

"Give me a moment," said Ashley, as she allowed herself to drift roughly thirty feet away from the knights. "I'll release Warren from this point. You'll have five seconds to send the Translocator my way, or your friend gets fried."

"Alright," huffed Ashley. "Let's do this."

"Ashley then let Warren go, and as he flew back towards her friends, she started to count to five, aiming her sights on both Warren, and the Translocator, which was floating over towards her.

"Yes," guffawed Ashley. "At last it's mine!"

Just then, Warren disappeared in a poof of green sparkles, while the Translocator vanished via a similar rainbow-colored poof. Suddenly, Warren was seated atop Raxtus next to both Kendra and Seth.

"You tricked me!" growled Ashley.

"Quick, let's get out of here!" said Clover, who was holding the Translocator. Without hesitating, Seth, Kendra, Warren, Bright and even Raxtus placed either their hand claw onto the Translocator. Within seconds, Clover used the Translocator to transport the group away from Ashley, just before a wall of fire would have otherwise engulfed them.


	21. Complications

**Chapter 21 – Complications**

Kendra and Seth watched as the sky that had been surrounding them seemingly dissolved into the front yard at Fablehaven. Raxtus, who had previously been floating, placed his feet on the ground and landed softly.

"Oh my god," gasped Kendra.. "That was too close. At least we're still okay."

"That was not good," said Warren, climbing down from Raxtus' backside.

"What do you mean?" asked Seth. " We got away, didn't we?"

"Yeah, but now Ashley's getting away," muttered Warren. "And now that she's taken down the plane, who knows where she'll meet up with Oblivion."

"How do you figure that?" asked Kendra.

"Well, when Oblivion goes to the airport to meet up with Ashley, he'll learn about what happened with the plane, and will no doubt expect a change in plans. Sooner or later, Ashley will arrive on the mainland, contact Oblivion, and no doubt meet up with him somewhere."

"What _about_ the plane?" asked Kendra. "I mean, it just plummeted down into the Pacific ocean.

"There wouldn't be much we _could_ do to help," said Bright. "What's done, is done."

"The people on the plane shouldn't be in too much danger," added Warren. "The plane no doubt has life rafts, and I'm sure a rescue team will come out for them soon."

"What about our stuff?" asked Seth. "All our luggage."

"We'll just have to replace it," said Warren. "Fortunately, we gave all our important stuff to Clover and Bright."

"Should we go back?" asked Seth. "Maybe we can spy on Ashley and follow her before she gets away."

"I'll go," said Raxtus. "If I'm not back in one minute, assume that I'm still following her."

"Or you've been incinerated," added Warren. "But seriously, drink this first."

Warren handed an uncorked healing potion vial to Raxtus, who then sipped chugged it down. He then used the Translocator that was in his claws to send himself back to the area in the sky where they had dealt with Ashley.

"Good luck," said Kendra, as Raxtus faded away.

"Now what?"asked Seth.

"I guess we'll just have to wait," said Warren. "It's better that we all didn't go, since it's easier for Raxtus to follow behind while staying invisible the whole time."

"I guess this ruins our plan," said Kendra.

"I almost had her," moaned Warren. "If those stupid flight attendants hadn't interfered, I could've killed Ashley right then and there while she was in her seat, still a human. Then at least Oblivion would never be able to use Ashley in his plan."

"What about Jake?" asked Kendra. "Not that I'm too upset over losing him, mind you."

Warren rubbed his forehead. "Well, when they go to rescue all the animals that were on the plane, they'll just assume he was a dog belonging to us. Or rather, the false names I bought our tickets under. When the airline is unable to locate us, they'll probably donate Jake to a shelter or something."

"So if someone actually adopts him?" asked Seth.

"He'll escape," said Warren. "Assuming that we succeed in stopping Oblivion altogether. "Otherwise, Jake may never have a chance at getting adopted."

"He's not the only one," said Lance, who walked up to the group.

"Good morning," said Kendra, who wasn't sounding too enthusiastic. "Are you wondering what we're doing here?"

"I kinda overheard you guys when you arrived," said Lance. "We read your note from last night. What happened now?"

"Our plan to defeat Ashley backfired," replied Warren.

Lance winced. "What happened?"

"She turned into a dragon and tore the tail off the plane, sending it down into the Pacific Ocean," replied Kendra.

"A dragon?" gasped Lance. "Ho-ly. But I thought Ashley couldn't turn into any magical creatures."

"That's changed now that Oblivion lent her some of my power," explained Kendra.

"But she really did that?" asked Lance.

"Unfortunately," answered Warren. "I bet that if you turn to the news, they'll be covering the incident any moment now."

Everyone headed back inside, where they were greeted by Grandma.

"Good morning, all. We've read your note. Is everything... okay?"

Upon entering the living room, Seth grabbed the remote from off of the coffee table, switched the TV on, and changed the channel to CNN.

"What's going on?" asked Grandma, as Grandpa and Seth's parents all entered the living room. On the TV, a reporter could be seen sitting at a desk.

"We've just been told that a Boeing heading for Japan has crashed into the Pacific Ocean at around 8:01 this morning. The plane has taken severe damage due to an unknown cause, led to it ultimately crashing. Right now, the causes for the plane's fall are unclear, but we hope to have more details on this story once it develops. Stay tuned for more details."

"Your plane, no doubt," said Grandpa. "The Society did this."

Warren nodded, then proceeded to explain the story to the adults in the room.

"This is horrible," said Mrs. Sorenson, as she proceeded to hug Kendra. "I'm so glad you all are all right."

"What about Ashley?" asked Lance.

"Well, Raxtus is in the middle of following her to Japan," answered Warren. "Since we don't know where exactly Ashley plans to go now that she took down her own flight. Once Raxtus reaches Ashley's destination, he'll come back here through the Translocator and bring us back to Japan with it."

"I...," began Lance. "I want to come."

Everyone in the room gasped. "You?" asked Grandpa. "You want to join them?"

"Please?" asked Lance. "I won't get in anyone's way and I promise to..."

"Absolutely not," said Grandma. "For one thing. You have no field experience at all. If anything happens to you, you could get killed!"

"But I want to stop the Society!" exclaimed Lance.

"I know you mean well," said Grandpa, placing a hand upon Lance's shoulder. "But, well, you're not exactly qualified for this sort of..."

"I get it," said Lance. "I'm not wanted anywhere. Even those fairies you told me to play with are getting boring."

"We don't mean it like that," said Seth. "It's just that this situation is something-"

"What do you mean the fairies are getting boring?" asked Kendra.

Lance groaned. "Lately, they've just been laying around the garden all day. Not that I don't blame them, since everyone else is too busy to pay them any-"

"Oh my god," gasped Kendra. "I hope they're all right!"

Kendra made her way out the front door and dashed into the garden. Sure enough, fairies were sprawled out across pieces of furniture and the pathways.

"Are you fairies all right?" asked Kendra.

The fairy nearest Kendra, who sported bright red hair and bat-like wings, shook her head. "We're exhausted. It's like we never want to move ever again!"

"What's going on?" asked Grandma, as the rest of the group followed. Kendra relayed to them what the fairy had just told her.

"Oh no," said Grandpa. "I feared this would happen."

"Feared what would happened?" asked Seth. "The fairies are having a siesta?"

"This isn't the time for wisecracks," said Grandpa. "You see, fairies draw their life force from the Fairy Kingdom, which is why they typically live near shrines. However, with the barrier between our world and the Fairy Kingdom completely blocked off, its impossible for the life force to pass between worlds and sustain the fairies here. While fairy angels are powerful enough to not require this energy, eventually, all these lesser fairies will die."

"No," said Kendra, shuddering. "Just no!"

"Couldn't we just give them healing potion?" asked Seth.

Grandpa shook his head. "They wouldn't do the trick, I'm afraid."

"If the fairies draw their power from the Fairy Kingdom, why not just send them there with the Translocator?"

"Because that would never..." began Grandpa. "Wait a minute. That's brilliant! It's better they stay there where they can thrive than in our world."

"Except Raxtus has the Translocator right now," said Bright. "In the meantime, Clover and I will try to round up all the fairies on the preserve so we can transport them back to the Fairy Kingdom once he gets back.

"Good idea," said Grandma. "Now that we're all waiting to hear from Clover, we'll just have to stick it out until then."

"Will the fairies be okay until then?" asked Kendra.

"Let's hope so," said Dale. "Unfortunately, we don't have much of a choice at the moment."

While Bright and Clover proceeded to fly around the garden to seek out every last fairy she could, the rest of the group headed towards the house.

"Lance," said Seth. "That was actually a pretty smart idea."

"Thanks," said Lance. "At least someone appreciates me."

"Look, I know the Society's been horrible, but you know they're not exactly normal people, right?"

"I hardly know what constitutes as normal," said Lance. "My actual mother passed away when I was two and my father lost his job in the whole kerfuffle. He had to get a lower-paying back-breaking job to sustain us The stress made him succumb to alcohol and he ultimately died due to liver poisoning earlier this year. The group home I got sent to was no fun. The Society only picked me because I was the smallest, weakest-looking boy that was there. Thought I'd be easier to boss around or something. And you know what that led to."

"Yikes," said Seth. "I'm- I'm sorry."

"Look, I can't change what's done," said Lance. "But I just want the Society to be stopped, and to live in a normal home. As much as I've grown to like Fablehaven-"

"Lance," said Seth. "Are you okay?"

Seth then noticed tears were pouring from Lance's eyes, as the boy dashed away from Seth and headed into the house.

While everyone at Fablehaven waited for Raxtus to return, they spent much of their time parked in front of the television, picking up more information about the plane crash. Over the following hour, a rescue plane had reached the one that had crashed. Two people were reported to have died in the crash, while seven were severely injured. However, they were still unable to determine what could have caused the tail of the plane to be torn off.

"What would happen if they discovered dragon DNA on the plane?" asked Seth.

"The Knights have done tests on that sort of thing," replied Grandma."Without drinking the magical milk, the DNA of mystical animals will remain invisible to anyone who tries to observe it. This whole ordeal with probably remain a mystery forever."

"Where's Lance?" asked Kendra, looking around the room.

"In his room," replied Mrs. Sorenson.

Kendra nodded, then headed upstairs into the bedroom that Lance was staying in. Although the door was open, Kendra knocked, glancing at Lance, who was lying down on the bed.

"Come in," he said, looking at Kendra.

"Are you feeling better?" asked Kendra, as she sat down in a chair across from Lance.

"A little. I'm just really mad at the Society right now."

Kendra grimaced. "Believe me, we all are."

"I really want to help you in stopping them, though. But, I know that you don't want me to come along."

"It's nothing personal," said Kendra. "But you have absolutely zero experience when it comes to fighting. And this mission could get very dangerous. There's a good chance we could die, and even then, Oblivion's plan would likely succeed and he'll take over the world."

"How do you think_ I _feel?" asked Lance. "But, I understand your point. I just wish there was more for me to do than sit around here and root for you guys."

Kendra cocked her head down for a moment. "Look, if we somehow manage to stop Oblivion, you can..."

"Can what?"

"I don't know. It's unlikely you'll keep living here. You've expressed a desire for a normal life. And as much as I admire Fablehaven, it's anything _but_ normal."

"But I want to be able to help at some point. If not now, then maybe in the future. I owe you guys for saving me. And if I go off to live a normal life somewhere, I may never get a chance to interact with you guys again."

"We'll think of something," said Kendra. "I'm just not sure what. Maybe we can arrange visits or something."

"It wouldn't be the same," said Lance.

"I know what you mean," said Kendra. "After the first time Seth and I came to stay here, we had to wait eleven months before any interactions with the magical world."

"Really?" asked Lance.

"I can tell you more," said Kendra, who then proceeded to tell Lance more about her experiences with the magical world.

Sometime after lunch, Raxtus returned to Fablehaven. When everyone ran outside to meet him, they could see that he was exhausted.

"That... flight took forever!" he gasped.

"What happened?" asked Warren. "Where's Ashley?"

"Well, I followed her all the way across the ocean to Tokyo. From there, I followed her all the way to a hotel where I believe Oblivion is staying. But, even with my invisibility, I'd rather not run around inside a hotel, especially if Oblivion might be inside."

"Good work, Raxtus," said Clover. "But first, Bright and I need to escort the fairies to the Fairy Kingdom with the Translocator. Long story short, they can't stay here much longer."

"Is this gonna take long?" asked Warren. "No offense, but the less time we spend with the Society out of our sights, the better."

"How about I take Warren to the hotel with the Translocator?" asked Raxtus. "Then, I'll stay behind, while he returns with it, and you fairies can use it to reach the Fairy Kingdom."

"That works," said Bright.

"Let's do this, then," said Raxtus, as he wound up the Translocator, then allowed Warren to grab one end of it. In an instant the two of them vanished. Several seconds later, Warren reappeared with the Translocator, but without Raxtus.

"All right," said Warren, handing the Translocator to Clover. "You fairies get your friends together so you can get them back to the Fairy Kingdom, then get back here."

"Got it," said Clover, as the group all followed her and Bright over to the garden, where close to a hundred dreary fairies of different colors had gathered around in a crowd.

"I'll have to shrink down to fit into the vent," said Bright, as she proceeded to reduce her size to that of the other fairies.

"I wound it up for you," said Clover, placing the Translocator on the ground in front of Bright.

"Okay," said Bright. "I want as many of you fairies as possible to place a hand anywhere on the Translocator. "I'll then use it to send you back to the Fairy Kingdom for the time being. Don't push, we'll do as many trips as this takes."

Bright placed a tiny hand upon center of the Translocator, while around twenty other fairies did the same in other places. Bright then closed her eyes and transported every fairy that had been touching the Translocator elsewhere. Roughly fifteen seconds later, Bright returned alone.

"Okay, the first group is back in the Fairy Kingdom," she said, as Clover bent down and wounded up the Translocator again.

After four more trips, every last fairy that was there had been transported back to the Fairy Kingdom.

"That's it. They should all be back in the Fairy Kingdom now. Hopefully, they'll get better in due time."

"Just be glad that the Fairy Queen upgraded the Translocator for us," said Warren. "She could have not done anything, and you'd have had to make like fifty trips."

"You know, that's my mother you're talking about," noted Bright, as she enlarged herself back to her full size.

"Sorry," said Warren.

"I wonder," said Kendra. "If the Fairy Kingdom really is a safe place for all those fairies. I mean, we saw what Oblivion did to the keepers and their instruments. If he has a way of getting through to the Fairy Kingdom, what's there to stop him, especially if he'd awoken Tritanoss by that point?"

"It's better the fairies head back there to restore themselves, then wither around here till they drop dead. Besides, with more healthy fairies thriving in the Fairy Kingdom, there might be a chance that all of them can unite their power and stop Oblvion."

"What about Tritanoss?" asked Seth. "Will the fairies have the strength they'll need to vanquish Tritanoss, or possibly Ashley, if he or she, or whatever, is there too?"

"Hard to say," said Grandpa. "If most of the more powerful fairies are unavailable when that occurs, all of their combined power might not be enough. Most fairies really aren't all that powerful when it comes down to it, sorry to say. But if that's the case, and the Fairy Queen and Bracken aren't enough to stop them, I hate to imagine what would happen if Oblivion does trounce them all. No doubt he'll get his hands on all five instruments of eternal power. And if he ever forms the Omega Star, it'll all be over."


	22. Tokyo Knights

**Chapter 22 – Tokyo Knights**

Seth looked over at Kendra, then at Warren, Bright and Clover.

"So," he said, "what do we do now?"

Warren scratched his chin, then turned his head to look over at Seth. "Hmm. I guess it's time we take the Translocator to Tokyo and meet up with Raxtus."

"When we get to Japan," began Kendra, "are we going to be going after Oblivion once and for all?"

""I'm afraid so," replied Warren.

"But how will we succeed?" asked Seth. "Ashley as a dragon poses enough of a threat as it is. Oblivion and Tritanoss would no doubt be more than out of our league."

"We'll just have to get the jump on them somehow," said Warren. "It almost worked against Ashley, but there were too many people around on the plane. We'd have to do it where we won't get caught. And soon, since Oblivion is no doubt protecting her, and she's bound to become Tritanoss sooner or later."

"I guess we better get going, then," said Clover.

"Wait," said Kendra. "What about me becoming fairyprime? I mean, it was enough to weaken Navarog, right?"

"Three problems with that plan," replied Bright. "First of all, Tritanoss vastly eclipses Navarog in terms of power. Secondly, you never truly defeated Navarog. While your plan worked, all you ultimately did was trick him. And third, we just sent all the weakened fairies back to the Fairy Kingdom. We won't have the time to round them all up again and send them back into this world."

"But I thought you fairy angels are supposed to be like fifty times as powerful as standard fairies!" exclaimed Seth. "There weren't nearly that many fairies back when Kendra became fairyprime last time!"

"It's not just sheer magic that powers fairyprime," said Clover. "It takes heart. Something that no two fairy angels, as incredible as may be, would have enough of to fuel the fairyprime transformation."

"I guess we'll just have to take out Ashley while she's still a human," said Warren. "Or we'll never win."

Warren then wound up the Translocator, then held it out for his friends to touch. "If everybody's ready, let's just get this whole thing over with before it's too late."

A feeling of dread overwhelming the two of them, Kendra and Seth both placed a hand upon the Translocator, as did Bright and Clover. The sensation of being transported sucked the group of five in, as though they were being folded.

Where they emerged, it appeared to be nighttime. At five of them looked up at their surroundings. They were now on a rooftop, with rows of towering skyscrapers surrounding them on all sides, lit up by neon lights in rainbows of colors. Most of the lights were of either Japanese symbols or cute little cartoon characters. In addition to all the lights, the sounds of busy city streets were booming up from beneath their feet.

"Is this the place?" asked Kendra.

"Yup," said Raxtus, whom Kendra and Seth could sense was currently invisible. "Glad you could make it."

"Any idea where Ashley is?" asked Seth.

"Somewhere in this hotel," replied Raxtus. "While I was waiting for you guys" I circled around the building, trying to peek inside some of the windows, but I couldn't find her or any sign of the Society."

"Thank you for getting us this far, Raxtus," said Warren. "We'll go inside the hotel and start searching. Keep an eye out for anyone leaving the hotel. Clover, I want you to keep Raxtus company in case something happens."

"Okay," said Clover, stepping over to where Raxtus was supposedly standing.

"As for us," said Warren, as he stepped over towards the doorway leading down into the hotel, "let's boogie."

Warren placed his hand upon the handle, turned it and the door opened, not that it would've given them much trouble had it actually been locked. Kendra, Seth and Bright all followed Warren down a small stairwell and through another door that led into the beautifully-furnished penthouse hallway of the hotel.

"You think they're on the top floor?" asked Seth.

"I haven't the slightest," remarked Warren. "But we don't really have much time to find them. Ashley got here only minutes ago, and who knows how long it'll be before the Society takes off."

"Maybe we can find a name at the front desk," said Kendra, as she scooted over to the elevator call button in the middle of the hallway and pressed it.

"Look through the guest book?" asked Seth. "Uh, the front desk isn't exactly a public library."

"I can get the book for you," said Bright.

"Let's just hope this doesn't take too long," said Warren, as one of the elevator doors slid open, and they entered a car with mirrored walls and a leather bench to sit on. An elevator operator was standing in front of the buttons.

"What floor?" asked the operator, as the group boarded the elevator.

"Lobby," said Seth, eyeing the buttons. "Is that the first floor? Or is that the main floor?"

"Front desk, please," said Warren, as the operator proceeded to push the M button.

The elevator headed downwards, stopping at two other floors to pick up people who wanted a ride. It then stopped at the main floor, where all the passengers stepped off into a spacious, posh hallway.

"That's the front desk," said Warren, pointing to a counter where a female concierge was standing. "See if you can find the guest book behind it."

"Okay," said Bright, as she allowed herself to vanish. "Just give me a moment."

Around twenty seconds later, Bright reappeared next to Kendra, Seth and Warren.

"Sorry," said Bright. "But there was no book."

Seth then smacked his forehead. "We're in contemporary Japan! Of course this information's going to be on a computer!"

"I have no idea how to use a computer," said Bright.

"Man, you're missing a ton!" said Seth. "I gotta show you what they're all about sometime!"

"There won't be a _sometime_ if we don't find you-know-who!" grumbled Kendra. "And that concierge isn't going to let us ask which Oblivion and all of his aliases are staying in."

"Well Seth knows all about computers," said Bright. "He can show us."

Bright walked over to the concierge at the front desk and waved her hand at her. Thanks to Bright's magic, the woman's eyelids dropped and she fell down onto the floor into a deep sleep.

Seth slipped behind the counter, trying to pay little attention to the fallen concierge, and stood in front of the computer. "You got the list of names, Warren?"

"Right here," said Warren, pulling a folded-up piece of paper out of his bag and presenting it to Seth.

"Let's see," said Seth, as he unfolded the paper and read the first name on the list. "Jordan Golding. Of course. Let's see if he's on the computer." Seth began scrolling through a list of names that was currently open on the computer screen. "Thank god this thing's in English. "

"Find anything?" asked Kendra.

"Nope," said Seth, as a middle-aged woman walked over to the counter.

"Excuse me, but I misplaced the key to my room."

"Not now," said Seth, "we're busy."

"Young man," said the woman, "I left my glasses in my room and I need them for reading. Now if you'll kindly..."

"Can this _please_ wait?" asked Warren.

The woman looked across the counter, assuming she could see detect a spare key card for her room somewhere on the other side, then glanced down at the floor.

"Why is that employee _sleeping_ on the floor?"

"She's tired?" replied Seth, rolling his eyes.

"I've had it," said the woman, as she stormed off.

"Well that was a waste of nothing," said Warren. "Bright, if that woman comes back, present her with a pair of glasses."

"But she wanted her key," said Bright.

"Whatever," said Seth, looking for another name on the computer. "Anything to make that woman shut up."

"Pardon me," said a bald man in a business suit, who appeared along with the woman from earlier.

"Speak of the devil," muttered Warren.

"I'm the manager of this hotel," said the man. "Would you mind telling me what the hell is going on here?"

Kendra could see where this was going, and proceeded to turn her head away from the desk. She then saw something that made her jaw drop.

A small group of people were walking down the hallway about thirty feet away from where they were standing. However, Kendra made out at least two people, and studied them for a moment. Margot and Alex Springer! She watched as they made their way to the front door, failing to notice the Knights at the front desk.

"Guys..." said Kendra.

"Are you in on this too?" asked the manager, whose face appeared to be turning red.

"They're leaving..." said Kendra anxiously, trying not to raise her voice too much. "The **Society** is walking out the **door**."

"Look, we're sorry," said Warren, having heard Kendra. "We'll be on our way."

"I'm afraid I'm going to have to call the police," said the man, reaching for the phone on the desk.

"We don't have time for this," said Bright. "Here, have forty winks, both of you!"

Bright held her hands out at both the woman and the manager, forcing both of them to fall asleep on the spot.

"I mean it!" exclaimed Kendra. "I saw the Springers, along with some other people, walk out of here! Follow me!"

"This is crazy," said Seth, as he followed his friends over towards the entryway to the hotel.

"Wait," said Kendra. "It was fortunate enough that we didn't get caught! But if we don't follow them carefully, we _will_ get caught! And I wouldn't be surprised if Ashley does her dragon thing again here in the city."

"I'll go first," said Bright, as she rendered herself invisible again. She then walked over to the sliding doors at the entrance to the hotel, startling the bellhop as they seemingly opened up by mistake.

"Where is she?" asked Seth.

"Why are you asking us?" asked Kendra. "We can't see her."

A moment later, the doors slid open once again, but no one appeared to pass through them.

"Clover and Raxtus spotted them too!" exclaimed Bright. "And Raxtus has started to followed them! Come on!"

The group darted out the sliding doors to the hotel. Before them was a large u-shaped driveway, where several taxis were currently parked.

"Where'd they go?" asked Seth.

"They took off in a limousine," said Bright. "Clover's magically relaying Raxtus' proximity to my own, so I can follow them."

"We'll follow in one of these taxis," said Warren, leading the group over towards the rear door of a nearby car, which he, Kendra and Seth all climbed into. Now visible again, Bright got into the passenger seat, located on the left hand side of the car, being a Japanese vehicle.

"Where to?" asked the cabbie.

"Uhh," began Bright. "Go straight for now."

"Okay, then," said the cabbie, as he turned on the fare meter and began driving away from the hotel.

As the taxi drove down the streets, Kendra and Seth watched as Bright concentrated on something. No doubt she was focusing on Clover's presence, so that they could follow her and Raxtus.

Every flew blocks, Bright would tell the cabbie to turn one either way or the other. From the look on the driver's face, Kendra and Seth both thought that he had the idea that Bright was crazy. But it didn't matter. They needed a way to travel through the city without drawing too much attention, and riding atop an invisible dragon didn't seem like the wisest method of transportation.

Around ten minutes later, the taxi arrived at the waterfront of Tokyo, which was lined with wharfs and boats of all sorts as far as the eye could see.

"Here's good," said Bright.

"That'll be two-thousand eight-hundred and twenty-nine yen," said the cabbie.

Warren froze, then pulled out his wallet. "Uh, let's see here. You want a fifty?" he asked, drawing an American fifty-dollar bill. "Keep the change."

"Thanks!" said the driver, as he accepted the money, while the group got out of the taxi, which then drove off.

"How much _was_ that ride?" asked Seth.

"I think I overpaid him" said Warren. "But we can't afford to waste any more time. Where are Clover and Raxtus?"

"There you guys are!" exclaimed Clover, as she seemingly materialized before the group.

"So," began Kendra, "where are they?"

"Over that way a bit," replied Clover, pointing down to another part of the harbor. "Raxtus is there waiting for us."

As the group proceeded to run down to where Clover had been pointing, a large thud trembled before them.

"STOP!" shouted Raxtus, who was currently still invisible.

"Raxtus?" asked Seth. "What's going on?"

"The Society just boarded a boat and have already set off!"

The rest of the group looked out onto the water where, in the distance, they could see that a merchant vessel was now drifting away from the shore.

"They're getting away!" exclaimed Seth. "Raxtus, give us a lift!"

"No," said Warren. "We can't all stay invisible long enough to follow them without getting caught. It was one thing to mess around at the hotel's front desk, but the coast guard is a different story."

"Not only that," said Raxtus, "but I'm exhausted now. I can't keep flying like this."

Seth looked around the harbor. "We don't need a fairy dragon now. We need a ferry."

"That joke got old so fast," remarked Kendra.

"Seth's right," said Clover, "but how do we get a ride on one of these boats?"

Warren scratched his chin. "These boats are all privately owned, and their owners are probably all elsewhere. Not that they would do us much good, since we don't have the time or the paperwork to rent one of these babies."

Kendra took in a deep breath. "I propose that we just... hijack one of these ships. "I don't know what else to do at this point."

"Don't feel so bad," said Warren. "If the Knights get the chance, they'll make it up to the ship's rightful owner.

"So which boat do we pick?" asked Seth.

"A fast one," said Warren, eyeing the boats that were parked nearby. "That fishing vessel over there will do nicely."

The group made their way over to the wharf of the boat that Warren had pointed out. It wasn't overly large; Kendra, figured it could have probably fit inside of her school's gymnasium.

Everyone looked around to make sure nobody else was watching them. Warren then flew onto the deck onto the fishing vessel, while Bright and Clover used their magic to levitate Seth and Kendra up as well.

"Is everyone here?" asked Warren.

"Yup," said Raxtus, appearing in front of Warren.

"Good. Let's get this ship moving so that we can get out of here already. Come on, Clover."

Raxtus made his way over towards the stern of the ship, where he laid himself down and curled up. Meanwhile, Warren, Kendra, Seth, Bright and Clover all made their way into the cabin.

"Are we going to hot-wire this boat or something?" asked Seth, admiring both the captain's wheel along with the rest of the dashboard.

"We can get this boat started magically," said Bright. "Just watch."

Bright then proceeded to rub her hands together and released her magic upon the dashboard. Suddenly, the whole thing lit up, and the motor started to run.

"Well, that was easy," said Warren. "Useful for when you forget your keys, no doubt."

"Anyone here know how to drive this thing?" asked Seth.

"I'm not exactly a boater myself," said Warren, stepping up to the wheel. "But I do have a driver's permit, for what it's worth."

Warren then pulled on a lever, and suddenly the boat slowly began to move forwards. After moving for a few seconds, the boat suddenly stopped. The engine was still running, but something appeared to be holding them back.

"What's wrong?" asked Kendra.

"Something's holding us back," said Warren.

"I'll go see what it is," said Seth, as he scooted out of the cabin and over towards the stern, where Raxtus had nestled himself.

"What's going on?" asked the fairy dragon.

"This stupid boat's stuck," said Seth, looking around. "Oh, no wonder! This rope's keeping the boat in place!"

Seth made his way over to the side of the boat, where a thick rope, that was currently stretched out to its fullest, was keeping it tied to the nearby dock.

"How am I supposed to untie this lousy thing?" asked Seth, placing his hands upon the knot attached to the boat.

"Allow me," said Raxtus, as he got up, grabbed the rope with both of his claws and ripped it in half. He then let go and the boat continued to move forwards.

"That did it," said Seth, as Raxtus crawled back down.

"All right," called Warren from the cabin. "Let's go!"


	23. Dark Waters

**Chapter 23 – Dark Waters**

The fishing vessel that the Knights had seized control of began making its way past rows of docked ships that lined the wharfs at the harbor. It seemed as though no one in the area had caught on to what they were up to, for now.

Seth glanced up at the sky, and could see that heavy, grey clouds were spanning the sky from one end of the horizon to the other. Sooner or later, rain would be inevitable.

"It was a dark and stormy night," said Seth, who was waiting for thunder to clash, as if on cue.

"Something wrong, Seth?" asked Raxtus, who had gone back to curling up on the back deck of the ship near Seth.

"It's nothing. I just wish I knew where we were going."

Hoping to find an answer, Seth made his way back into the cabin. Warren had his hands on the steering wheel, while Kendra, Bright and Clover stood to his side.

"Hey, Captain," said Seth. "how are we going to find the Society at this rate? If we get too close to them, they'll probably attack us. But if we don't keep close enough, we'll lose them."

"I've got the situation under control," stated Clover, directing Seth's attention over to the dashboard. "See the compass over there? I've enchanted it so that it's pointing towards the nearest source of dark magic. Namely Oblivion. As long as we stay a reasonable distance away from from the Society, this compass will direct us straight to them."

"What do we do now?" asked Kendra. She was looking out the rear window of the cab, and could see the night skyline of Tokyo slowly shrinking in the distance.

"Follow the Society until we reach their destination," said Warren.

"But how will we intercept them?" asked Kendra.

"I honestly don't know. As long as their ship is moving, they'll more than likely be on alert and stop us if we try anything."

"What about when we reach the Marianas Trench?" asked Seth. "Don't tell me that their boat can transform into a submarine or something."

"In that case, we'll have to go after them underwater and find a way to strike at them then, otherwise..."

"We lose?" asked Seth.

Warren nodded. "If Tritanoss truly is as powerful as they say, we'll never stand a chance against him."

"Hold on a second," said Kendra. "What if this whole Tritanoss thing is a hoax? The Society would've just been wasting their time, right?"

"Earth to Kendra," said Seth. "Everything to do with the magical world that we've been told about has always turned out to be true! Why would Tritanoss be any different?"

"I don't know," replied Kendra. "I mean, Oblivion might not succeed in awakening Tritanoss. You never know."

"If Tritanoss really is down there," began Warren, "we can only hope that Oblvion doesn't have the means necessary to awaken Tritanoss, or that Ashley isn't powerful enough to assume his form. Unfortunately, I've got that sinking feeling that the Society knows what they're doing."

After the boat continued outwards for several move minutes, the group could hear a siren closing in on them from the rear.

"What's that?" asked Seth, trying to detect the source of the noise. "Sea Police?"

"More like the coast guard," said Kendra.

"Coast guard?" asked Bright. "What does a coast guard do?"

"They regulate people who pass through international waters."

"Yeah, and if they catch us out here on a hijacked boat, we're gonna be in some deep trouble," said Warren.

"We can stop them," said Bright. "Come on, Clover."

Bright and Clover darted out of the cabin and ran towards the stern of the ship. About half a minute later, the siren stopped. Shortly after, Bright and Clover returned to the cabin.

"Uh, what'd you two just do?" asked Seth.

"That boat that was following us?" asked Bright. "I disabled its engine."

"And I turned the crew into frogs," said Clover.

"WHAT?" asked Warren. "The coast guard is not our enemy! An obstacle... sure. But not an actual threat!"

"It's only temporary," said Clover. "When they turn back into humans, anyone they talk to will think they're delirious."

Seth glanced over at the compass, then rubbed his head. "The Society appears to still be moving. But, how come the coast guard never went after them?"

"They must've had clearance," said Warren. "Especially if they got to Tokyo before us. If they didn't actually have clearance, they probably just _made_ their own."

According to Warren, the trip was easily going to take the great portion of a day, provided that they didn't make any stops along the way. Located within the cabin was a staircase leading down the lower deck. In one of the rooms were several metal frame bunk beds that had been built into the walls. Seth claimed one of the top bunks for himself, while Kendra chose the one beneath it.

"This is so stupid," said Seth. "We gotta follow the society through all of this craziness instead of just pouncing on them?"

"We wouldn't stand much of a chance against Oblivion," retorted Kendra, sitting on the side of her bed. "If he has intentions of raising an alleged doomsday demon using his enhanced power, the couldn't be a single thing we're capable of throwing at him that he can't deal with."

Seth rubbed his head, looking disappointed. "Doomsday demon? What do you mean?"

Kendra rolled her eyes. "Did you not brush up on Tritanoss before we left Fablehaven? Thought you could just run straight into the foray without knowing what you're up against?"

"So-ree," said Seth. "Just answer my question, will you?"

"The book I read said that Tritanoss was an aquatic demon. Unlike other demons, Tritanoss, for some reason, kept growing stronger and stronger. Killing Tritanoss seemed impossible, but trapping him was not. So, the ancients used the Omega Star to banish Tritanoss to the bottom of the Marianas Trench."

Just then, Warren marched into the room, then let himself slouch down onto a chain. "Man, am I beat."

"Who's driving the ship?" asked Seth.

"Clover. I _think_ she got the gist of it. What are you two doing?"

"Kendra was telling me about how Tritanoss was banished. Is it true that he is a doomsday demon."

Warren took in a deep breath. "Well, that could very well be the case. See, though Tritanoss was banished, the banishment wasn't indefinite on purpose. The texts state that according to the ancients, their wish was, and I quote; _Tritanoss shall slumber beneath the waves unless a fire ring surrounds his grave_, end quote."

"That makes no sense," exclaimed Seth. "How's anyone supposed to create a ring of fire at the bottom of the ocean?"

"Well, if doomsday were to befall us, it could very well be possible. Think about it. Doomsday is the end of the world. A supernova being a very likely cause. All that intense heat would undoubtedly dry up the oceans and allow that ring of fire to become a reality. At that point, Tritanoss would awaken only to get pan-seared."

"I think we can rest easy knowing that the Society has no way of blowing up a star," said Seth. "What could they do? Drain the Pacific Ocean?""

"Get real," said Kendra. "They probably just have simpler way of diverting the water down there, so that they can have a fire going."

It got later and later, and the Knights were only getting sleepier and sleepier. Additionally, rain began pouring heavily as the fishing vessel traversed the waves. Raxtus, having assumed his fairy form, came down to the bunk room to sleep, as did everyone except Clover, whose turn it still was to drive the boat.

Many hours later, Seth and Kendra were eventually woken up by footsteps marching downstairs and plopping themselves onto an empty bed. Opening their eyes to take a look, they saw that it was Clover, sprawled out on the bedsheet.

"What time is it?" asked Seth, as he stretched his body and dropped down from his bed onto the floor.

Clover didn't respond. She looked weary, and was apparently in no mood to answer Seth's question.

"Let's go up and check," said Kendra. Seth nodded and followed her up to the cabin, where Bright and Warren were standing behind the wheel. More importantly, sunlight was seeping in through the windows.

"Morning," said Warren.

"What's the latest?" asked Seth.

"We're still following the Society," said Bright. "The greater portion of our trip is over, and we'll be at our destination sooner than you think."

"Unfortunately," added Kendra.

"Why don't you two get freshened up?" asked Warren. "The bathroom has a shower you can use. Then you can have some breakfast."

"I got dibs on the shower!" said Seth, as he scurried back down the stairs before Kendra got a chance to react.

After Seth and Kendra both showered and changed into fresh clothes, Bright used her magic to whip up plates of bacon and scrambled eggs for Kendra, Seth and Warren, who went back down to the bunk room to eat at a small table. They saw that Raxtus, currently in his diminutive fairy form, was asleep on the bed above Clover.

"Raxtus came in when the storm got really bad," said Warren. "But he earned his rest."

For Seth and Kendra, the next few hours were passed mostly by walking around the deck of the ship and gazing at their surroundings. Nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see in every direction.

Eventually, the boat came to a complete stop. "We're here!" announced Warren from the cabin.

Everyone gathered in the cabin, but from looking out the windshield, it appeared as though there was nothing ahead of them.

"Where are we?" asked Seth.

"Right above the Marianas Trench" answered Warren. "But, we're a good mile or so behind the Society. No doubt they're making their move to head down at this very moment.

"So, are we supposed to go down there and stop them ourselves?" asked Kendra.

Warren nodded. "Unless one of you has a better plan."

"Well, how are we supposed to get down there?" asked Seth. "Does this boat turn into a submarine or something?"

Warren scoffed. "I only wish. "We're gonna have to go down on our own."

"We don't even have diving equipment!" exclaimed Seth.

Kendra smacked her forehead. "Stupid Seth!" she exclaimed. "You can't _dive_ to the bottom of the Marianas Trench! No oxygen tank would allow you to survive the trip. Beside, the water pressure down there would crush you!

"Well I hope you guys had something planned," said Seth. "Otherwise, this whole cruise was a wastle of what could be our final hours as we know them."

"Fear not," said Clover. "We've got something that'll allow you to survive at any depth. We can surround your bodies in magical air-tight bubbles."

"What if the bubbles pop?" asked Seth.

"What if we run out of air?" asked Kendra.

"Yeah," added Warren. "We could be down their for hours. And I know what those bubbles are like. It's hard to really move around in those things. Not a good idea, especially when the Society might catch us."

"Popping's not likely," stated Bright. "But you do raise a few other points."

"I've got it," said Clover. "Follow me onto the back deck."

Clover dashed out and ran to the stern of the boat, while Bright trailed directly behind her. Curious, Kendra, Seth, Warren and Raxtus all followed the fairies.

"What's you plan?" asked Seth.

Clover whispered something to Bright, who nodded in response.

"You ready?" asked Bright.

"We can't really waste anymore time," said Warren. "What's you plan?"

Facing Kendra, Seth and Warren, Bright and Clover focused their hands together to create a glowing orb of magical energy the size of a basketball.

"Uh, what're you doing?" asked Seth nervously.

"This!" laughed Clover, as three beams of magic shot out of the ob, hitting Kendra, Seth and Warren.

Kendra immediately felt awkward, as though something was painlessly crumpling every bone in her body. He legs began to feel stumpy, and she toppled down onto her rear, just as Seth and Warren did the same. She then felt something rip through her pants, and she was unable to stand back up.

"What gives?" asked Seth, who was displaying a similar experience, as was Warren.

"Oops!" gasped Bright, as she waved more magic at the trio. "How's that?"

Kendra watched as her pants suddenly disappeared, revealing a long, rainbow-streaked fish-lile tail in place of where her legs were supposed to be. Her shirt was also gone, and she appeared to be wearing nothing but a brazier made of sparkling sea shells.

"Oh my god," said Seth, who was sporting a deep blue tail. "You're... We're mermaids!"

"Merfolk, actually," said Warren, whose tail was a dazzling emerald green. "Mermaids are the female, while mermen are male."

"This is crazy," said Kendra, as she wiggled her tail fins, trying to move them like she would her feet.

"This isn't exactly the ideal fantasy of most boys my age," said Seth, who was having a hard time grasping the fact that he could no longer stand up.

"Can merfolk really survive at the bottom of the Marianas Trench?" asked Kendra.

"Supposedly," said Warren, stroking his tail. "Their bodies are built to withstand massive amounts of water pressure, and oxygen isn't a concern due to the gills in their tails. On top of that, they possess the ability to see in even the murkiest of depths."

"Raxtus, can a dragon like you survive at a great depth?" asked Clover.

"Well, I don't quite have a body ideal for underwater travel," answered Raxtus, "but I'm sure I can manage."

"Then it's all set," said Bright. "We'll get your stuff together, and we can all dive down!"

Bright and Clover picked up the group's various bags, as well as their weapons, and used their power to magically store them away.

"Now it's our turn," said Bright, as she and Clover concentrated using their own magic on themselves. Suddenly, they too transformed into mermaids as well. Bright's tail sparkled in a rainbow of colors just like Kendra's. Clover's tail was green, but a lighter shade than Warren's.

"Everybody ready?" asked Clover.

"I see no need to wait around a second longer," said Warren, stroking the scales on his new-found tail.

"Then let's go!" exclaimed Bright, as she and Clover used their magic to levitate all of the merfolk into the air. They then drifted over the side of the ship and over the water, where the fairies ceased their magic, dropping them all into the water.

As they landed in the water, Seth and Kendra both wriggled their tails, trying to keep their balance on the surface.

"This is insane!" exclaimed Seth, splashing his arms around while trying to maintain a vertical stance.

"Just relax," said Bright, who appeared to be treading water. "Mermaids are fully accustomed to thrive in the water. It's instinct."

"Yeah, well my _human_ instinct wants to not drown!" blurted Seth.

At that moment, Warren poked his head out from under the water. "This is awesome! You really _can_ breathe underwater! Try it!"

"Okay," said Kendra, as she held her breath before submerging her entire body beneath the surface.

Right away, she could tell that things were different, as her visibility was not distorted; it was perfect. She then felt movement on both sides of her lower body. Although she had been holding her breath, Kendra could feel oxygen flowing through her body and into her lungs. She then opened her mouth, allowing water to fill it up. However, she still felt fine.

"Isn't it amazing?" asked Warren, who had gone beneath the surface again to check on Kendra.

"Warren!" exclaimed Kendra. "Our voices! They aren't muffled by the water! I can hear you properly!"

"Comes with being merfolk," said Warren.

"I can't believe this is really happening," said Seth, who met up with Kendra and Warren, as did Bright and Clover. "Whoever said mermaids are lame and girly is an idiot!"

"Wasn't that you?" asked Kendra. "And didn't you also say the same thing about unicorns?"

"I take it all back!" cried Seth. "Tenfold!"

At that moment, a large body plunged into the water near the merfolk. Even before the bubbles started clearing, they could all tell that it was Raxtus, in his dragon form once again.

"Hey, you guys don't look half bad sporting scales," he said.

"Raxtus," said Kendra, "You can speak clearly underwater too?"

"What'd you expect?" asked Raxtus. "Some dragons chose to spend their entire lives in the water."

"Guess we don't need to ask about his visibility," muttered Seth under his breath.

"Well then," said Warren, "have we all gotten the hang of our new bodies?"

"I think so," replied Kendra, as she swam around a bit, finding her body fairly easier to control. Swimming with a tail was much easier than trying to do so with the legs of a human. She was also much faster and had excellent control.

"Ditto," said Seth.

"Me three," said Bright.

"Same here," said Clover.

"And I'm good to go," said Warren. "Now let's put these merfolk bodies to the test! To the bottom of the trench! Let's go!"


	24. Beneath the Waves

**Chapter 24 – Beneath the Waves**

Kendra, Seth, Warren, Bright and Clover, all of whom were currently in merfolk form, swam in a downwards formation, as they ventured deeper and deeper into the Pacific Ocean. By their side was Raxtus, who, while still a dragon, was able to keep up alongside the rest of the group.

Swimming as merfolk was quite simple, as far as both Kendra and Seth were concerned. All that it required was positioning one's body in the direction that they wished to swim in, and flipping your tail about back and forth.

As the group dove deeper and deeper, Kendra couldn't help but feel wary. Sure, her body felt fine physically, and oxygen did not seem to be a problem. And despite her fairykind ability to perpetually see in the dark, how would the others be faring at these greater depths?

"Is it getting dark for anyone else?" asked Kendra.

"Nuh-uh," replied Seth, as he and the others all shook their heads in response.

"Merfolk have the natural ability to see in the dark," said Warren.

"And us fairies are always able to do so ourselves," added Bright.

"Dragons can as well," added Raxtus. "At least, some varieties."

Seth snorted. "I figured as much. "Glad to know that we'll be able to see what we're doing down there."

"I know what you mean," added Warren. "You'd think the ocean floor would be all lit up like in cartoons. But in actuality, it's one of the eternally darkest places on the planet."

"How deep is the Marianas Trench?" asked Kendra.

"Over six-and-a-half miles," replied Warren. "At the rate we're going, it could take close to an hour to get to the bottom."

"I've got it!" said Seth. "Clover, my bag, please!"

"Okay," said Clover nervously, as she used her magic to summon Seth's bag and presented it to him. Seth then reached into his bag and pulled out something that mildly resembled a snow globe. Kendra took a good look at the object, and realized what it really was. It was Seth's leviathan figurine, the one he had received from Thronis back at Wyrmroost.

"Seth!" exclaimed Kendra. "Did you _really_ bring your leviathan?"

"Well, yeah," replied Seth. "I've never awakened it before, and since we were going on this aquatic adventure, I figured it was as good a time as any..."

"Seth!" snapped Warren. "You have zero experience with this creature! What if you can't control it? What if it decides to attack us?"

"But why would Thronis entrust me with a creature that's ready to hunt me?"

"Thronis wasn't exactly the most trustworthy ally," said Kendra. "And we aren't in a good situation to _test the waters_, as it were."

"Stop trying to be funny," said Seth. "I want to try this! People don't just give you a powerful creature for the sake of getting rid of it!"

"Seth, no!" cried Warren.

"Look!" blurted Seth. "How are we supposed to stop Oblivion and Ashley at the rate we're going? They're extremely powerful, and in all our previous encounters, we've failed to best them! This leviathan might be just the thing we need to give us an edge!"

"It could still attack us," said Bright.

"I don't know how strong that thing truly is," said Raxtus, "but I don't want to find out."

"Well I do!" said Seth, as he gripped both ends of the globe with his hands and unscrewed it.

Before anyone else could react, the bottom of the globe came off, and water flooded into the glass portion. Next, the leviathan figurine started to glow in a bright blue aura and shook wildly!"

"NO!" yelled Kendra. "Why can't you just listen?"

The leviathan figure began to grow rapidly, bursting out of the globe and expanding at an incredible rate. It grew bigger and bigger, not stopping until it reached its full size. Floating before the group was an incredible sea serpent. Once small enough to fit in a human hand, the leviathan was now the length of several city buses.

The leviathan, which was light blue in color, but otherwise dragon-like and ferocious-looking, looked around at the group, before fixating its ruby red eyes on Seth.

"We're gonna die," moaned Kendra, as she smacked her hands over her face.

The leviathan grumbled lightly, then proceeded to try and rub Seth with its massive snout before the boy-turned-merman could even so much as react.

"Holy..." gasped Seth, flinching his way away from the leviathan.

"You know," said Raxtus. "I think she likes you."

"She?" asked Kendra. The leviathan turned to face Kendra and nodded before her.

"I can tell she's a she by her mannerisms and body structure."

"Well then, Miss Leviathan," said Seth, "are you showing your loyalty to me because I freed you?"

The leviathan squinted her eyes, then lightly shook her head.

"I was the last one to handle you before putting you in that globe. Is that it?"

The leviathan nodded in response.

Well, she seems to understand English enough," said Warren. "If only she had a name..."

"I must confess that I am unable to understand her speak," noted Raxtus.

"How about Mariana?" asked Seth. "After the trench? It's a female name and it sounds like marine."

The leviathan rolled her eyes slightly, then nodded.

"Okay then, Mariana" said Seth. "We've got to get to the bottom of this trench as quickly as possible. Think you could give us a lift?"

Mariana nodded again, the remained still.

"I think she wants to give us all a lift," said Raxtus, as the diminutive dragon swam onto Mariana's massive back.

"Why's she being so nice to us?" asked Seth. "All I did with her up until now was keep her away from water."

"She was likely under a curse," said Bright, as they rest of the Knights all joined Raxtus upon Mariana's backside. "You broke the curse, so she's thanking you."

"Cool," said Seth.

"And to think, she could've been one of those nasty monsters that would've eaten us on sight," added Clover.

Seth laughed. "All right. Is everyone aboard?"

The others replied positively.

"Okay, then. Mariana. Let's go!"

Mariana positioned her body in a downward direction, then proceeded to dive in what could best be called a free-fall, had they been in the air. Mariana was quite a fast swimmer, and the flow of the ride was admittedly quite exhilarating.

"YEAH!" screamed Seth. "This is better than a roller coasted!"

"I want off!" exclaimed Kendra, as she clung onto one of Mariana's spines and held her eyes shut.

"You're such a baby!" said Seth. "I'm your little brother, and even I'm not scared!"

"We're practically falling!" cried Kendra, as they sank even deeper and deeper. It was hard for Kendra to really gauge how deep they actually were, but it was easily more than a mile.

"Relax, Kendra," said Warren. "It's not like we can really fall off."

"I know," said Kendra. "But it's frightening. Like when I fell from Pileus Palace. Sure, I had the Essence of Immunity, but it was still nerve-wracking."

Within just a few minutes, Mariana had approached the ocean floor, where she slowed down and repositioned her body in a horizontal position.

"Bottom floor," said Warren, as he let go of Mariana and swam off. "Don't see how we can get much lower than this."

"Not quite the bottom," said Kendra. "Since the Earth isn't a perfect sphere, parts of the Arctic Ocean are actually closer to the core than the Marianas Trench."

"Blah blah blah," said Seth. "We don't need a lesson on water-depth-ology."

"So where do we go now?" asked Clover. This trench isn't just deep. It's wide!"

"I've got the supposed coordinates of where Tritanoss is," said Warren. "It's about where the Society's boat stopped. Getting there shouldn't be a problem. Since we're at the bottom, we've got a lower chance of getting spotted approaching them them at this point."

"And best of all," said Seth, gesturing towards Mariana, "we've got an awesome new ally on our team!"

"It's something," said Warren. "But who knows what the Society has in store for us. Because of our mishap on the plane, they no doubt know what we're up to."

Kendra looked around at the rocky ocean floor that surrounded her. "You think that's there's anything else down here that might attack us?" she asked.

Seth laughed. "It wouldn't surprise me," said Seth. "We're in Davy Jones' locker! Of course monsters lurk down here."

"Seth's right," said Warren. "There've been legends about sea monsters, many of which are quite true. Guess that doesn't really make them legends if they're actually real."

"Well, we do have Mariana on our side," said Seth. "She can protect us."

"What exactly do you think there is down here for her to protect us from?" asked Kendra.

"I... " replied Warren, "do _not_ want to find out."

Seth surveyed the vast sea floor that stood before them. Underwater mountains made up of rock formations stood before where knights currently where and were they wished to travel. "So, we just go down that way about and hopefully be able to sniff out the Society?"

"That's the plan," replied Warren.

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked Seth. "We've got Mariana's help, right? If they've yet to awaken Tritanoss, I'm sure she can take on even Ashley when she's a dragon!"

"We don't know the limit of Oblivion's potential," said Bright. "If he's hoping to wrangle a demon like Tritanoss, we can't risk unleashing Mariana on him."

"It probably _is_ better if Mariana stays out of the fray for now," said Clover. "Is there a way for you Seth to get her back into that globe?"

"How should I know?" asked Seth. "I wasn't even the one who put her in there."

"It'd be too exhausting on our own power to try and hide a creature like Mariana," said Bright. "She'll just have to watch our for herself."

"We can still ride upon Mariana for now," said Warren. "But once we get closer to the coordinates, we'd better continue on foot. Or fin, as the case may be."

The group all swam back onto Mariana's back and grabbed hold of her body as she proceeded to swiftly swim across the ocean floor. Seth and Kendra admired the aquatic scenery as they rode past underwater cliffs, coral reefs and schools of fish.

"How long is this going to take?" asked Kendra.

"Not too long," said Warren. "We should be getting there real soon."

A brief moment later, Mariana had approached a chasm that didn't appear to be of much concern. As Mariana traversed it, a massive grey tentacle reached out from the chasm and wrapped itself around her body, stopping her in her tracks.

Kendra screamed as Mariana struggled to pull herself free from the tentacles grasp. "What is that?"

The others were all too startled to come up with a response, as more tentacles crept out of the chasm, the monster they belong to crawled out and revealed itself to the group. It appeared to be some sort of enormous, one-eyed squid, whose body size rivalled Mariana's.

The squid wrapped another one of its tentacles around Mariana, prompting her riders to get off and flee from their attacker.

"Is that a squid?" asked Kendra.

"Make that a giant squid!" exclaimed Seth.

"It's a kraken!" said Warren.

"Mariana's stuck!" noted Kendra, indicating that the leviathan was struggling to break free from the kraken's grasp.

"Let her go!" snapped Raxtus, as he swam over to one of the tentacles that had wrapped itself around Mariana. Just one of the kraken's tentacles was all it took to dwarf Raxtus by comparison. As Raxtus struggled to pry the tentacle off of Mariana, another tentacle came and wrapped itself around Raxtus.

"Fairies!" gasped Kendra, "I need Vasilis!"

"But it won't do you any good if the kraken isn't a creature of darkness!" stated Bright. "And I doubt our magic will have much affect."

"This thing is worse than that tyrantula we fought!" exclaimed Warren, as he barely evaded another one of the kraken's tentacles.

"What made you think of that?" asked Kendra, as the kraken attempted to grab the rest of the group with more of its tentacles."

"All those legs," said Bright. "But at least the tyrantula didn't have all these crazy tentacles. Just that stupid webbing and all those... _eyes_."

"That's it!" snapped Kendra, as an idea popped into her head. She glanced directly into the cycloptic kraken's massive yellow eye, wheels spinning in her head. "I need Vasilis! I don't care if the kraken's not a dark creature!"

"But Kendra!" exclaimed Clover.

"Let me go!" snarled Raxtus, who was unable to break free from the kraken's grasp.

"Just do it!" yelled Kendra. "As fairykind, I command you!"

Bright squinted and used her powers to make Vasilis materialize in Kendra's hands.

"You're not gonna turn this monster into calamari using _that_," said Warren. "Its skin is too... _rubbery_."

Keeping her distance from the kraken, Kendra tried to find an opening between the creatures swaying tentacles, which were still trying to grab hold of the rest of the group.

"Kendra," said Seth. "What's wrong? What're you trying to do?"

"I want to stab that kraken in the eye," said Kendra. "But it's too dangerous."

"No kidding," said Seth. "Look at what that thing's doing to Raxtus and Mariana. Imagine if wrapped its tentacles around us, we'd get crushed!"

"I'll go," said Warren, extending his hand to accept Vasilis from Kendra. "This may be my first day as a merman, but I've got loads of experience as a knight."

"Be careful," said Kendra, who envisioned the thought of one of the tentacles squeezing Warren to death. "Until you stab it, that kraken will have its eye on you."

"Let's do this the easy way," said Clover, as she used her magic on Warren, rendering him invisible.

"Thanks," said Warren, "but you gotta admit this is cheating."

Several seconds later, Kendra and Seth watched as a slit seemingly pierced itself into the kraken's eye. Although both Warren and Vasilis were invisible, they could tell that Warren was carving through the kraken's eye with the sword, blood flowing everywhere. Having endured severe pain, the kraken released Raxtus and Mariana, then struggled to try and grab Warren with its tentacles.

"Warren!" cried Kendra, who only wished she could see her cousin at this point.

"Did the kraken get him?" asked Seth nervously.

As the kraken tended to its mutilated eye, a trail of blood flowed away from the monster and made its way over to group.

"What is this?" asked Seth.

"_This _is Warren," said the invisible figure, who had no doubt been lightly coated in blood.

"You're all right," said Kendra, giving her invisible cousin a hug, only for some of the blood to rub off onto her body.

"Thank, bud," said Raxtus, placing his claw upon Warren's invisible shoulders.

"Let me clean that up for you," said Bright, who used her magic to make the blood that was on Warren and Kendra vanish.

"Let's have something a little more pleasant to look at," said Clover, as she magically made Warren reappear.

"What about the kraken?" asked Seth, who noted the kraken was preoccupied trying to soothe its eye.

"I don't think that thing's going to be a problem for now," said Warren, as her presented Vasilis back to Bright, who in turn used her magic to store it.

"Just like that tyrantula," said Kendra. "The kraken's weak point was its eye."

"Newsflash, Kendra," said Seth. "But I don't think any creature would be too fond of getting stabbed in the eye."

"It's kinda easy with creatures like those," said Warren. "A tyrantula has too many eyes to look after. And all this kraken has going for it is one giant eye."

"Well, we got past that thing somehow," said Kendra. "But it really slowed us down! Just how fast does the Society move?"

"Too fast," said Warren. "They always manage to be one step ahead of us. With all due respect, you've gotta give them _some_ credit."

"We really need to take it easy," said Seth. "They can't even awaken Tritanoss unless they form a ring of fire around his resting point, right?"

"That's what we've been led to believe," said Warren.

"And fairies, is it at all possible to create a fire underwater, through some sort of magic?"

"Not that I'm aware of," answered Bright. Clover shook her head in response

"Then the only way the Society could ever hope to release Tritanoss would be to devise their own method of allowing a fire to burn underwater. Whatever it is, it can't be easy to accomplish."

"I just hope they don't throw any more danger at us," said Kendra. "That kraken was more than enough."

"We don't know the exact reason why the kraken attacked us," said Warren. "It could've just been protecting its territory. But either way, we can't let our guard down while we're down here. We can't risk getting attacked like that again."


	25. Deep Sea Trouble

**Chapter 25 – Deep Sea Trouble**

Having gotten over the sensation of tackling the massive kraken, the Knights of the Dawn pressed onwards across the ocean floor. They had seated their merfolk bodies on the backside of Mariana, except for Raxtus, who was sitting normally, and continued to ride to Tritanoss' supposed coordinates.

"We really mustn't waste any more time," said Bright. "Even if we do make it before Tritanoss is awakened, we still may not have what it takes to defeat the Society if we run into them."

"Hey, Mariana couldn't help it that that kraken attacked us!" blurted Seth. "What was she supposed to do?"

"I'm not blaming anymore," noted Bright. "All I'm saying is that we should do everything in our power to avoid more conflicts like that."

"But that was a surprise," said Kendra.

"We can't risk any more surprises," said Warren. "All we can do about that is to be extra careful."

"How much further?" asked Seth, trying to make out the area ahead of them.

"Not too much longer," answered Warren. "Thanks to Mariana's speed, we'll be getting there sooner than I anticipated."

"What do we do if the Society spots us?" asked Seth.

"Mariana might have what it takes to counter Ashley," said Kendra. "As a dragon, Ashley wouldn't have a size advantage, nor can she breathe fire underwater."

"Our real concern would be with Oblivion," said Clover. "I don't want to know just how powerful he's actually gotten."

"I am not convinced that a demon, allegedly one as powerful as Tritanoss, would succumb to someone like Oblivion," said Seth. "Even if he_ is_ a sorcerer with increased power."

"You saw how Ashley's able to assume a dragon form," said Bright. "An impossibility amongst humans, no matter how much they've harnessed their magical training."

"And even we don't understand the true potential of Kendra's fairykind magic," said Clover.

"I don't even want to imagine what Oblivion's got planned with that power," said Bright.

After riding on Mariana for several more minutes, the group eventually spotted peculiar creatures approaching them from the front.

"What are those things?" asked Seth.

"They look like... seahorses!" said Kendra, making out the figures of the creatures.

"Aren't seahorses a lot smaller?" asked Seth. "These things are large enough to be _real_ horses!"

Before anyone could come up with a witty response, the six giant seahorses, all of which sported a merman riding on their backsides, swam up to where the group was, prompting Mariana to stop in place. Although the seahorses were all yellow, the mermen's lower bodies came in a rainbow of colors.

"State your business," said the one of the mermen, whose lower body was red. Like his cohorts, he appeared to be clenching a harpoon in his hands."

"They're not from around here, are they?" asked one of the other mermen. This one's lower body was purple.

"Tell us," said the red merman, "why are you riding atop a leviathan in a restricted area? For that matter, why are you riding a leviathan? And is that a _dragon_ with you?"

"Pretty small for a dragon," said another merman.

"We can explain," said Warren. "But tell us, who are you guys?"

The mermen all laughed. "Don't kid with us," said the red one. "We'd arrest you right now if you didn't have that leviathan on your side.

"Are you... _police_?" asked Kendra.

"Lot of weird stuff going on today," said the merman with the bronze lower body.

"Will someone explain what's going on?" asked Seth.

"I'm afraid we must confess," said Bright. "We are not from around here."

"Normally we wouldn't have a problem with outside merfolk coming to visit. But bringing a leviathan and a dragon with you? I thought the first group was enough."

"First group?"

"Yeah," said the green merman, "a group of, what're they called? Humans! "Came all the way down here in these giant bubbles!"

"Humans?" gasped Kendra. "No! It's the Society!"

"The _what_?" asked the blue merman. "You know those humans?"

"Look, there's no time to explain," exclaimed Warren. "The Society of the Evening Star is a group of humans bent on world domination! They want to awaken Tritanoss so they..."

"Awaken Tritanoss?" asked the red merman. "Are they serious?"

"Yes, they're serious!" snapped Bright. "We came all this way just to stop them!"

"I don't know if you even can," said the golden merman. "If our trained mega ray couldn't stand up to them, what hope does that leviathan have?"

"What happened with your mega ray?" asked Warren.

"It only happened minutes ago, but news travels fast," said the green merman. One of the humans mysteriously turned the poor mega ray to stone with little effort. Then another human turned into a dragon and shattered the poor thing."

"Then what?" asked Warren.

"Knowing that they couldn't stand up to those humans, the other guards returned to Aquaton and alerted the city. We also sent out a kraken to seek out for more intruders, but told it be extremely careful.

Kendra knew exactly what the others were thinking, and smartly chose not to say anything on the matter.

"Anyway," said the red merman, "we need to quarantine the area as best as possible and evacuate in case those humans really do awaken Tritanoss."

"Well, we need to get through if we want to have any chance of stopping them," said Warren.

"We aren't too keen on the idea of letting in strangers into city in a time of emergency," said the purple merman. "How do we know you aren't on the same side as the humans?"

"Look, just let us in!" exclaimed Seth. "We need to get through!"

"It's too dangerous!" said one of the mermen. "We insist that you go no further."

"We hate to be intrusive, but this is an emergency!" blurted Warren.

"Which is exactly why you may not pass!" shouted the red merman, whose seahorse barged right up before Warren's face.

"Leave him alone!" snapped Seth. Mariana poked her head down towards the mermen guards and snarled in agreement.

"How dare you threaten us!" snapped the red merman. He then grabbed a conch shell that Kendra and Seth failed to notice he was wearing around his shoulders like a necklace, and blew into it like a flute.

There was a loud whistle, but nothing appeared to have happened.

"Wow," said Seth sarcastically. "I was expecting something a little more _Under the Sea_-ish from that."

"Um, Seth," muttered Kendra. "Look."

Seth looked behind the mermen and watched as gigantic, dark maroon creature, which could best be described as a cross between a lobster and a scorpion, climbed over a hill.

"Under no circumstance are you to let these outsiders pass," said the red merman to the huge lobster. Kendra wasn't quite sure what it was. It looked like a lobster, but its tail was clearly that of a scorpion's.

The lobster, which nearly rivalled Mariana in size, scattered over past the mermen and towards the group. Almost instinctively, Mariana swam in front of the knights, barricading them from the lobster.

"Get back!" shouted one of the mermen.

"We don't have time for this!" exclaimed Warren. "Call off your lobster thing and just let us through!"

"Lobster thing?" asked one of the mermen. "It's a thermidorpion, and it wants you to leave. Now."

The thermidorpion responded by clenching Mariana's body with one of its pincers and clamping down on it. Mariana responded by growling in pain, and lunged her head at the thermidorpion.

"Leave our leviathan alone!" screamed Kendra.

Her tail still caught in the thermidorpion's pincer, Mariana clenched her jaw around the attacker's arm and bit down on it. However, her teeth were unable to penetrate the creature's hard protective shell.

"Threaten us more and our thermidorpion will attack the rest of your group," said the red merman.

"How do we stop that stupid thing?" asked Seth.

"I... don't know," said Kendra. "It's got a sturdy shell. Even Mariana's monstrous teeth couldn't crack it."

"I remember that time when Mom and Dad took us to that seafood restaurant, and we both had lobster," said Seth.

"Seth, this is no time to think about some stupid dinner!" blurted Kendra, who was afraid that the thermidorpion would make a lunge at her with its other claw, the first one trying to pin down Mariana's body.

"If we don't do something quick, we'll be dinner!" yelled Warren.

"And our magic won't work on a monster like that!" said Bright.

"Poor Mariana can't even crack that shell." noted Clover.

"We had to use nutcrackers to break open parts of our lobsters," said Seth. "Except for its underside, there was no shell there.

"That so?" asked Raxtus, as he swam towards the thermidorpion. Due to Raxtus' relatively small size, the thermidorpion barely even noticed him.

"What is that puny dragon trying to do?" asked one of the mermen.

Raxtus swam under the thermidorpion's legs and proceeded to claw up through the oversized crustacean's stomach.

"That thing is poisonous!" exclaimed one of the merman, as a strange black ooze began to seep out of the thermidorpion's stomach where Raxtus was.

"My healing ability neutralizes the effect of poison," said Raxtus, as he swam away from the bleeding thermidorpion. It then released its grip on Mariana, lost its balance, and collapsed on the ocean floor.

"What did you do?" cried one of the mermen.

"You're stupid lobster attacked our leviathan," said Seth.

"Guys, I think Mariana's hurt," said Kendra, pointing to the wounds on the leviathan's body where the thermidorpion had clenched her.

"She's been poisoned," said Warren. "That thing probably has stingers in its pincers.

"Let me handle it," said Raxtus, as he swam over to Mariana's wounds. He then opened his mouth and spray a white, misty substance onto the wounds, and they closed up almost instantly.

"Moving right along..." said Warren, as he turned to face the imposing mermen and their seahorses.

"Attacking a guardian of Aquaton is not going to get you on our good side," said the red merman fiercely. He then picked up his conch shell again and prepared to blow into it. However, before it could touch his lips, the shell vanished from his hands.

"What happened?" asked the red merman, feeling around for his necklace. "It just disappeared into thin water!"

"You're not calling in more cronies," said Bright, as she swam onto Mariana's back. "Come on, let's continue."

"You're with the humans!" said one of the mermen.

"But we're the good guys!" retorted Warren.

"We must return to Aquaton and alert everyone who's still there to flee," said the red merman."

"Are you proud of yourself?" asked another merman. "Thanks to you invaders, we need to abandon our city because of you."

"It's not like that!" cried Kendra, as the mermen all swam off on their seahorses. She then moaned. "Why wouldn't they listen to us?"

"They're under enough stress right now with the Society's invasion that they didn't even care about our story," said Bright.

"Look on the bright side," said Warren, "now the path is free."

"Bright side," said Seth, looking at the mermaid-turned fairy. "I like it."

"Don't use the term _bright_ side unless I say it's okay," said Bright. "I mean it. It really bugs me when people use it around me."

As soon as everyone had boarded Mariana's backside, the leviathan swam off in the direction the mermen had retreated in on their seahorses.

"Good thing Mariana's on our side," said Seth. "I don't think we could ever swim at this speed."

"I just hope that having Mariana on our side isn't what intimidated those guards into thinking we were the enemy," said Warren. "As useful as she's been, having a big, ferocious monster on your side can have its drawbacks."

Before long, Mariana came across a massive cliff, where she came to an abrupt halt.

"Great," said Seth. "We're lost."

"Warren, are you sure Tritanoss is here?" asked Kendra.

"My directions go hand-in-hand with the path those guards took. But it's not Rand McNally had a map I could've bought for a situation like this."

"We should just swim over this cliff," said Seth. "What's there to stop us?"

"Over there!" said Kendra, pointing off to the side of the cliff. "There's a large opening in the wall."

Mariana noticed the nearby opening that Kendra has spotted, and swam over to it. It appeared to be a fissure, just wide enough for Mariana to swim through without straining her body.

Mariana poked her head into the fissure, and proceed to swim through it. The fissure wasn't terribly deep, and the leviathan soon emerged from the other end. From first glance, it appeared to be an underwater valley of some sort.

"What is this place?" asked Kendra, glancing around the valley. The place appeared to the size of a large park, and was completely surrounded by a circular wall, of which the fissure was a part of. Many oblong domes, which had holes crafted into them to serve as doorways and windows, struck Kendra as being the homes of merfolk. Coral, seaweed and various rock formations littered the landscape in spots where domes had not been erected.

"It's Aquaton," said Warren. "What those mermen were trying to protect. And apparently, it must be where Tritanoss lies."

"What's with the empty plateau thing in the middle?" asked Seth, pointing to an raised area with no apparent domes built upon it. The plateau appeared to be the size of his school's entire property.

"That must be where Tritanoss is resting," said Warren.

Seth admired the massive plateau from afar, not wanting to imagine the though of a massive demon lying somewhere beneath it.

"Let me get this straight," said Seth. "Oblivion really thinks he can awaken Tritanoss? Now that I've seen his resting place with my own eyes, I don't see how on Earth he has any hope of fulfilling the requirements needed to awaken Tritanoss."

"I know what you mean," said Warren. "For crying out loud, we're at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean!"

"Where is Oblivion, anyway?" asked Kendra.

"Or anybody?" asked Seth. "This place looks deserted."

"They've must've all fled," said Clover. "We've already taken out two of their protective creatures ourselves, who knows what the Society's done on their end."

"I didn't like that we had to fight those creatures," said Kendra. "Not because we couldn't beat them, but because they were forced to fight us, and we had to defeat them to move on. It didn't feel right."

"There was nothing we could do," said Bright. "Being fairykind, you instinctively agree with our anti-violence philosophy. You depend on kindness over aggression."

"Too bad being a goody-two-shoes won't impress heartless beings like the Society and Tritanaoss," said Seth.

"Don't speak too soon," said Kendra. "Get back in the fissure, Mariana! Please!"

With everybody still seated on her back, Mariana retreated back into the fissure tail first, until only her head was left poking out.

"What?" asked Seth.

"The Society! Approaching from above!"

Seth looked up along with the others, and could see several figures, inside what appeared to be bubbles, floating down towards Aquaton from above. From such a distance, it was hard to make them out. But there appeared to be four figures, one of which was undoubtedly Oblivion; his black robe gave him away.

"What do we do?" asked Kendra. "They've come this far. No doubt Oblivion's going to stop at nothing to accomplish his goal of awakening Tritanoss."

"You heard what that merman said about how they defeated that mega ray," said Clover. "Turning it to stone and then smashing it? Imagine if they did that to us. Even Mariana wouldn't stand a chance."

"What if they saw us?" asked Raxtus, who proceeded to render himself invisible. However, as they were underwater, it was still possible to see the indentation that Raxtus' transparent body made in the water. However, it made for much better camouflage than not having the ability at all.

"We need a plan," said Kendra, as the Society had almost reached Aquaton. "Fast."

"I'm afraid I don't have any ideas," said Seth disappointingly. "If only I was smarter."

"We've still got the Translocator, if anybody wants out," said Warren.

"No way," said Seth. "We came all this way. We know what we have to go up against. I see no need to turn back now. I know that we don't stand much of a chance, but we have to try. Even if we aren't powerful enough to defeat the Society, we can at least make an attempt to sabotage whatever plan it is that Oblivion has to awaken Tritanoss."

"Could we maybe use the Translocator to get some backup?" asked Kendra. "Even if just one of us goes?"

"We don't have time for that," said Warren. "Even with the power to travel instantly, we'd all accomplish more down here now then going elsewhere trying to recruit help."


	26. Tritanoss

**Chapter 26 – Tritanoss**

Kendra glanced out of the opening in the fissure, and watched as the four Society of the Evening Star members eventually hit the ocean floor, not too far from where Tritanoss' plateau was.

Seth began muttering under his breath, although it was quite easy for the rest of the Knights to make out that he was repeatedly saying "Tritanoss shall slumber beneath the waves unless a ring of fire surrounds his grave."

"I'd be really impressed if Oblivion actually could pull off that little task," said Warren.

"Well, I'm not exactly in the mood to find out," said Kendra. "And I'm afraid that he has a plan."

Seth watched as the four Society members, all still encased in bubbles, proceeded to walk around the base of the plateau. "We're the ones who could use a plan."

"I don't know about those other two people," said Bright, "but our real concern is with Oblivion and Ashley. Our magic won't work on them, and we'd give ourselves away if we went after the other two."

"Our best bet would be to have Mariana attack either Ashley or Oblivion, now while they're still vulnerable targets.

"What about me?" asked Raxtus, who was currently invisible. "I may be slower underwater, but they can't see me."

"We can still sense you, Raxtus," said Warren. "Even if you are invisible, it's still quite obvious to us where you are. And at least with Mariana, she'll have a speed advantage."

Raxtus sighed. "You've got a point. We're both likely to get spotted, and Mariana no doubt _is_ faster and stronger than I am."

"Okay," said Seth. "Let's do this. Mariana, I want you to try and sneak up on Ashley."

"Mariana doesn't know who's who," said Kendra, observing the three uncloaked people. She could soon make out that they were in fact Ashley, Margot and Alexander. Alexander in particular stood close by Oblivion's side. "That's Ashley," she said while pointing, "the woman with the dark shirt."

Mariana spurted out of the fissure, leaving her riders behind, and began circling around the inner perimeter of Aquaton at a high speed.

"No," said Kendra, who was still watching out for the Society. "I think they know something's up!"

Sure enough, Ashley proceeded to transform into a red dragon. She merely stood still, as Mariana quickly lunged at her, wrapping her entire serpentine body around her's. Ashley growled, and struggled to break free, but was not strong enough.

"It's the Knights of the Dawn," said Margot. "Who else could it be?"

Oblivion proceeded to unleash his magic upon Mariana, turning her entire body to stone.

"Mariana," gasped Seth. "Did you see that? The Sphinx did that almost effortlessly."

Everyone watched as Ashley unsuccessfully struggled to break free from her stone entrapment. "Help me, Oblivion!"

Oblivion then whispered something to Alexander, who in turn said "Oblivion is unable to use his enhanced fairy magic to inflict pain onto others."

"We've gotta save her," said Kendra. "Before Ashley builds up the strength to shatter her body."

"If Mariana can keep Ashley at bay, we may have a chance of attacking Oblivion," said Clover. "But we need to act now."

"Right," said Bright, as she and Clover swam over towards Mariana and Ashley.

"Who are those merfolk?" asked Margot. "Think they can protect their insolent city, do they?"

The two fairies then used their signature magical powers to return Mariana's stone body back to an organic state.

"What's going on?" asked Alexander.

"Those mermaids look familiar," said Ashley, whose face suddenly lit up. "They're in cahoots with the Knights of the Dawn! Destroy them!"

Oblivion unleashed a wave of black magic at Bright and Clover, who in turn repelled it with a rainbow of their own magic. The two sources of pushed against each other, almost like an inverted game of tug o' war.

"We've got to stop him," said Raxtus, who then swam over towards Oblivion. Warren followed behind, and signalled for Kendra and Seth to do the same.

"It's now or never," said Warren, as he swam off after Raxtus. Kendra and Seth were both scared for their lives, but trusted their guts and swam after Warren towards the inner city.

"It _is_ the Knights of the Dawn!" exclaimed Margot. "As merfolk?"

"I'll turn them into sushi," said Ashley, as she continued struggling to break free. "I'd transform, but this sea snake will crush me!"

"Let Oblivion have the honors," said Alexander, who then sensed something and pointed. "Master, over there!"

Oblivion shot a blast of black magic at Raxtus, which not only cancelled out his invisibility, but rendered him as stone statue as it did to Mariana.

"No!" gasped Kendra.

"We've got him," said Clover, as she and Bright used their magic on Raxtus to restore the fairy dragon back to his normal self.

"But we can't keep this up forever," said Bright.

"Well Oblivion can," said Alexander, as Oblivion used his magic to begin rendering some sort of golden force field around his entire body.

"I've got an idea," said Warren, as he swam over towards Bright and Clover, while Seth and Kendra followed behind."

"What?" asked Clover.

"Give me the Translocator. As long as Mariana's got Ashley pinned down, I can use it to force Ashley out of here."

"You've got a point," said Clover, as she used her magic to retrieve the Translocator and presented it to Warren.

"Thanks," said Warren, as he accepted the Translocator and proceed to swim over to where Ashley and Mariana were.

Suddenly, a bolt of black energy hit Warren, which turned both him and the Translocator into solid stone.

"Warren!" shrieked Kendra, who was now truly terrified of her own cousin being turned into a stone statue.

"Is that the Translocator he's holding?" asked Margot, who was expecting the poor merman's frozen body. If we could somehow dislodge it from his body..."

"Oblivion doesn't care," said Alexander. "Now Oblivion asks that the rest of you Knights refrain from pulling a fast one, or you'll join your friend over there."

"Hold on," said Clover, as she and Bright used their magic to turn Warren back to normal. However, they failed to restore the Translocator, which remained as a stone instrument.

"Oh no," said Warren, "the Translocator. It's... ruined.

"Sorry," said Bright.

Suddenly, everyone heard an unfamiliar voice laughing heavily. Who could it be?"

Oblivion clapped his hands, and his cloak vanished. Standing in his spot appeared to be none other than a full-sized, black-haired, black-winged... _fairy_.

Everyone, including Ashley and Margot, was in shock.

"Oblivion..." gasped Seth, "is a fairy?"

"Ho-ly," exclaimed Warren, who was truly awestruck.

"Why are you surprised?" asked Oblivion, in a rather calm, yet other stern, female voice. "It all makes perfect sense when you think about it."

"How?" asked Kendra, whose heart was pounding with terror. "How can you be a fairy?"

"I'm more than just a fairy," answered Oblivion. "I am a dark fairy. And since you came all this way, I suppose I should reward you with an explanation. I hail from the Fairy Kingdom, just like all the other fairies. But the rest of the fairies didn't like my intentions, so they banished me into this world to get rid of me."

"Then what are you doing in control of the Evening Star?" asked Warren.

"Oblivion laughed. That stupid Fairy Queen thought she was doing her subjects a favor by exiling me from the Fairy Kingdom."

"Don't talk about my mother that way!" snarled Bright.

Oblivion scoffed. "Stranded in this world of humans, I was lacking the power needed to return home. But that didn't stop me from increasing my own power. Training myself to the limit, I grew stronger and stronger over the years, until I was ready to... move on."

"Wh-wh-what are you talking about?" asked Kendra.

"I wanted power," said Oblivion. "But being a fairy in a world dominated by humans, I had to take measures to help myself fit in. One day I came across a girl by the name of Jordan Golding. Poor little rich girl. Using my enhanced power, I turned her into a cockroach, modelled my human form after hers, and took her place permanently."

"You did _what_?" gasped Clover.

"I grew up as a human," said Oblivion. "With my knowledge of the magical world, I sought out the Society of the Evening Star and offered my services, working my way the the ladder as the Sphinx's personal magician. I didn't want people figuring out the truth about my identity, so I devised the whole Oblivion ruse. Only the Sphinx and Alexander knew. No one else."

"So now that the Sphinx is gone..." continued Seth.

"The Society nearly crumbled!" exclaimed Oblivion. "But some of us still stayed in touch. Not long ago, I learned about the ordeal involving Navarog and the instruments of eternal power. So, I hatched this plan, and now, I am about to succeed, and there's not a damn thing you can do to stop me!"

"But, you're a fairy," cried Seth.

"You think fairies are all sunshine and gumdrops?" scoffed Oblivion. "Maybe most of them are, but I am a rare exception. I desire power and see those that are weaker than myself as disposable. Billions of people on this planet, I'd never run out."

"You can't do this," growled Kendra. "You may not take the Omega Star and rule the world with it!"

"I wouldn't stoop so low as to rule this world," said Oblivion with a devious smile. "I'll be ruler of _all_ worlds! Infinite worlds with infinite possibilities! But I owe you my thanks. Had you never gone on your little quest to find the instruments in the first place, I'd have never bothered with this."

"Well you're never getting back into the Fairy Kingdom at this rate!" exclaimed Seth. "No one can get in or out!"

Oblivion laughed. "_I_ was the one who sealed off the Fairy Kingdom, and _I_ was the one who immobilized the five keepers! They never saw me, a member of their own kind, coming. You really think I'd have set up all those traps if I didn't have a way of disabling them?"

"You're a fairy," said Kendra, "and I am fairykind. As your superior, I order you to stop!"

Oblivion rolled her eyes. "I'm a _dark_ fairy. I don't follow orders, even from you. Although I must thank you for your enhanced power. Without it, raising Tritanoss wouldn't be possible."

"You'll never succeed," said Seth. "You're crazy."

"Allow me to prove myself," said Oblivion, as she held up her hands and unleashed a massive wave of black energy. Within seconds, the wave had encircled the entire plateau. It then swelled up, parting away the water surrounding the plateau by several yards. The plateau was now surrounded by a barrier of air.

"NO!" screamed Kendra. Like her friends, she wanted to swim over to Oblivion and physically stop her, but knew that the dark fairy was far too powerful for her.

Oblivion walked into an area of the nearby barrier, and produced a small fireball in the palm of her hand. Laughing wickedly, she flicked the fireball onto the ocean floor. She then stepped back as the fire, in mere seconds, expanded from a tiny ball into a towering, circular wall that surrounded the entire plateau.

For several seconds, there was an absolute silence. Everyone, be they a Knight of the Dawn or a Society member, stood completely motionless. They were anticipating a tremendous uproar, but were greeted by what appeared to be nothing at all.

Suddenly, the entire ocean began to vibrate, as if an earthquake was now taking place. The entire city of Aquaton rumbled in chaos as the plateau began to shatter. Kendra and Seth wanted to react, but both of them were too flabbergasted at the occurrence to take any action.

What appeared to be an enormous shark, almost as wide as the whole plateau itself, burst out of the ground headfirst. It rose high above the city in a matter a seconds, even while the rest of its long, eel -like body was still rising out of the plateau.

"No," gasped Kendra. "No."

Oblivion laughed wickedly. "It worked!" she screamed. "It worked! Tritanoss lives!"

Tritanoss, whose entire body had not yet fully emerged from beneath the plateau, bent its enormous head back down towards the city to gaze down upon whomever awakened him.

"Tritanoss!" exclaimed Oblivion. She then proceeded to continue her sentence in an incomprehensible demon language.

Tritanoss responded with a booming growl, which was powerful enough to nearly cause a shock wave in retaliation.

"Tritanoss is a demon," said Warren. "He won't care who freed him. He won't obey you."

"Tritanoss!" said Oblivion, pointing at the Knights of the Dawn and finishing her sentence in demon-speak.

Tritanoss turned his head, not towards the Knights of the Dawn, but at Alexander and Margot, who were standing the opposite direction. He quickly opened his mouth and blasted a huge bolt of electricity directly at the couple, obliterating their entire bodies to cinders in less than a second.

"A shame," said Oblivion rather casually. "As far as humans go, those two were fairly useful."

"I got it!" laughed Ashley. "Dispose of Tritanoss, quick!"

"Got what?" asked Seth, figuring that Ashley couldn't have done anything while wrapped up by Mariana.

"Begone," said Oblivion, as she snapped her fingers, causing the wall of water to come crashing down onto the ring of fire, dousing the whole thing in one go. Before Tritanoss could react, he began to get sucked back down through the hole he had just risen from, as if it were a vacuum. Before long, the mighty sea demon had been sealed back up from where he came.

"All right, Ashley," said Oblivion. "Do your thing."

Ashley closed her eyes, and slowly began to change her shape into a more serpentine-looking one. As if by instinct, Mariana unravelled herself from her and swam off.

"Yes!" bellowed Oblivion, as Ashley altering body swelled up in size. "_Yes_!"

"She's turning into Tritanoss," said Warren. "She'll kill us."

Within seconds, Ashley had transformed into a seemingly perfect replica of Tritanoss. She seemingly gained this form with ease through the use of her enhanced power. Before reaching her full size, which more than rivalled an ocean liner, her body had smashed against and broken many walls and domes throughout the city.

"Ashley doesn't need to kill you," said Oblivion. "For you see, we're heading for the Fairy Kingdom right now."

"Impossible," said Bright. "Even if you were the one who implemented the whole barrier, there's still no entrance to the Fairy Kingdom down here.

"How stupid do you think I am?" asked Oblivion. She clapped her hands and caused a small, fairy-shaped statuette to appear in her palm. "I have my own little shrine right here, works just like the precious one you have at Fablehaven. Since I'm the one who spawned the barrier, I can creature a hairline fracture in it that allows me to slip through with ease. And I'm taking Ashley with me."

"I want to destroy them," boomed Ashley in a voice that sounded nothing at all like her human one. "Now."

"Don't bother," said Oblivion. "When we take over this world, we can subject them to eternal torment."

"But I can kill them off right now," snarled Ashley, electricity sparkling from her mouth like foam from a rabid dog.

"It's more _fun_ this way," said Oblivion, as she placed the statuette down on the ocean floor by her feet and backed away. "Now come on. No matter what they do, the Knights of the Dawn will either parish or die trying."

Before Oblivion could do anything more with the statuette, it was seemingly whisked away by an unseen force. Raxtus.

Everyone followed the statuette with their eyes, as an invisible Raxtus swam away from Oblivion and crumbled it with his own two claws. He then reappeared next to the Knights of the Dawn. "Let's see her warp to the Fairy Kingdom _now_," he said.

Ashley aimed her mouth at the Knights of Dawn and unleashed a bolt of electricity at the group. She was too slow on the draw, and Mariana had shoved them all out of the way using her tail.

"I'll get them this time," said Ashley, trying to follow the Knights of the Dawn as they all mounted themselves onto Mariana's backside.

"Forget them for now," said Oblivion. We must venture to Fablehaven and use the shrine there before the Knights or any of their accomplices sabotage it."

"Let's get out of here!" screamed Kendra, as the leviathan darted away from the city, barely evading Ashley's attacks.

"What do we do now?" asked Seth.

Before anyone could respond, they all turned their heads back and watched as Ashley, now posing as the tremendous demon Tritanoss, rose up from the city of Aquaton, no doubt heading directly for the surface.

"What do we do now?" asked Warren. "We need to stop the Society of the Evening Star. And from the looks of things, I don't think we have anywhere near as much power as we'd need to stop Ashley and Oblivion."

"There's got to be something we can do," said Clover.

"Ashley and Oblivion are going to the fairy shrine at Fablehaven," said Warren. "If we can at least get there before them, we can destroy it and at the very least keep the two of them out of the Fairy Kingdom."

"But we don't have much time," said Seth. "And the Translocator is unusable."

"We just don't have the strength in us to restore it," said Bright sadly.

"Then we've got to get back to Fablehaven," said Warren. "Right now."


	27. A Dying Star

**Chapter 27 – A Dying Star**

Kendra, Seth, Warren, Bright, Clover and Raxtus all held on tightly to the spines on Mariana's backside, as the blue leviathan swam up from the ocean floor, heading in an eastward direction.

Kendra and Seth could feel their hearts, in addition to their friends, all pounding violently. Their time was limited, and they had to return to Fablehaven as quickly as they possibly could. Given their current situation, they were unable to communicate with anyone back home, who could potentially destroy the Great Fairy shrine in the naiad's pond.

"If we do destroy the Great Fairy shrine at Fablehaven," began Kendra, "how will we ever get back into the Fairy Kingdom?"

"Unless we can somehow restore the Translocator, I'm afraid that I don't have an answer for you," replied Bright, her voice full of doubt.

"Not that we have any hope of stopping Oblivion, especially now, now that Ashley has assumed the form of Tritanoss." said Clover. "She's the only being we know of who's capable of dispelling the dimensional barrier."

"There's got to be a way to stop Ashley," said Seth.

"Not if she sticks to her Tritanoss form," said Warren. "A demon that size is no doubt nigh invulnerable. Nothing we could throw at her would make any difference. Tritanoss was only banished in the first place because there was no other solution, and even that took the power of the Omega Star."

Seth thought to himself for a moment, then came to a realization. "Look, we could still intercept Ashley once she reaches the shore," he said. "Even as a dragon, we might still have of chance of stopping her then."

"I wouldn't be surprised if Tritanoss could thrive out of water," said Kendra.

"And he can probably also fly," added Warren. "Otherwise, he wouldn't have been much of a threat to people living on the land."

"If anything," said Raxtus, "Ashley's probably just going to fly all the way to Fablehaven."

"Mariana's pretty fast," said Seth, watching as they continued speeding through the water. "She could easily out-swim Tritanoss, despite being much smaller."

"Tritanoss may be big," said Warren, "but I think he sacrifices speed for power and size."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" asked Kendra. "Mariana can't swim all the way to Fablehaven! We're heading to the west coast, and Fablehaven's all the way in Connecticut!"

"I'll fly us the rest of the way," said Raxtus. "Even if it kills me."

"You're willing to do a cross country flight?" asked Kendra.

"I don't have much of a choice," said Raxtus. "But I'd do anything to help you guys."

"Wait a minute," said Seth. "When we reach shore, why don't we just call home and tell everyone there to destroy the shrine?"

"We should tell them to destroy the shrine _and_ to head for the hills," said Warren. "Whether we get there in time or not, Oblivion and Ashley are no doubt going to wreck havoc on the preserve and destroy everything once they discover that the shrine has been destroyed."

"But what are we going to do about all the creatures living there?" asked Kendra.

"It'd be impossible to relocate all of them in time," said Warren.

"Does the distractor spell surrounding Fablehaven..." began Seth.

"Between Oblivion's enhanced magic, and Tritanoss' sheer power, it probably isn't anywhere nearly as strong enough as it needs to be to keep them out."

"What're Oblivion and Ashley going to do once they get to Fablehaven and find that the shrine has been destroyed?"

"Aside from going on a rampage?" asked Warren.

"If Oblivion is smart, she'll construct another shrine to the Fairy Kingdom and simply use that to pass through," said Clover.

"How long does it take to make a shrine?" asked Kendra.

"Months, usually," replied Bright. "But only because us fairies admire art. But in order for a shrine to be usable, it must be constructed entirely by hand, as using magic is considered cheating, and won't allow the shrine to function properly."

"So how long could Oblivion take?"

"A few hours," said Clover. "Assuming she does a rush job. Which she probably will."

"Then what hope do we even have?" asked Seth. "We've lost. Just admit it. We have no way of entering the Fairy Kingdom on our own, and no matter what we do, Oblivion's just going to find her own way in. Once she gets hold of the Omega Star, all hell will break loose."

"I know," said Kendra. Although she was underwater, she could still feel tears flowing down from her her eyes. "We'll do whatever we can. Even if we fail, it's better than just giving up right now."

"I'm scared," said Seth. "What if we don't make it?"

"I don't know," said Warren. "But whatever happens, at least we'll all be together."

Although there were was a seemingly endless ocean that Mariana had to traverse in her travel to the western coast of North America, time seemed to be passing at a rather unnaturally fast rate. From what Kendra gathered, it was because her mind was too focused on dreading what was about to happen. Oblivion and Ashley were going to enter the Fairy Kingdom one way or another, and the combined efforts and power of Kendra's group would barely equate to a fraction of that of Tritanoss.

"Our only hope," said Warren," is to have the shrine at Fablehaven destroyed before Oblivion and Ashley get there. With the help of our family back home, that shouldn't be a problem. However, our only chance to stop Oblivion would be while she's trying to build a second shrine."

"We blew it," said Seth. "We should've just shot Ashley back when we rescued Kendra. Then none of this would've ever happened."

"We Knights try not to solve our problems that way," said Warren. "But given what letting her live led to, I could see myself making a big exception to that little custom. But, we didn't know that Kendra's fairy magic had been stolen for... _this_."

Kendra sighed. "I feel like it's my fault. If I only could've defended myself back then. Then the Society wouldn't have kidnapped me so easily."

"Don't say that," said Bright. "You did nothing wrong. It's not your fault you attracted unwanted attention.

After what didn't seem like such an eternity, Mariana had surfaced and was currently speeding across the water to land, which was roughly a mile ahead of them. Kendra turned her head back and glanced at the sun, which was in the midst of setting in the west, lighting up the horizon and clouds with an orange and pink hue.

"Land ho!" shouted Seth, who then chuckled. "I've always wanted to say that."

"It's like Mariana knew to evade the coast guard," laughed Warren.

"Any sign of Ashley?" asked Clover, keeping her eye on the sky.

"Not yet," said Warren, looking up as well. "Mind you, having Mariana on our side really gave us a speed advantage."

"I'm not offended" said Raxtus. "I couldn't fly as fast as this."

"I wish you could," said Seth. "We're practically out of water."

Before long, Mariana had finally reached the shore. It was a beach of some sort. Fortunately, there was nobody around to interrogate them upon their arrival. Once she reached the shore, Mariana curved her body sideways and rested herself on the sand, where the tide contentiously pressed against her side.

Seth tried to stand up, but was barely able to move due to still being in his legless merman body, and nearly fell off of Mariana's back.

"Man," said Seth, his upper body leaning over on Mariana's back, it feels like my legs got fused together!"

"Problem," said Bright, as she elbowed Clover. The two fairies then joined their powers together, and used them to restore Seth back into a human, fully-clothed and everything.

"Wow," said Seth, as he got a hold of himself and climbed down off of Mariana, "Being a merman was incredible! But, I'm glad to be back on my own two feet."

"Yup," said Warren, now a human again, as he leaped down next to Seth. "Gotta go with what you know."

Kendra felt as her mermaid body returned to normal, then climbed down to where Warren, Seth and Raxtus were waiting.

"We made it this far," she said. "But where are we?"

"I'm not sure," said Warren, as he jumped into the air and allowed himself to hover above the ground. "I'll see if I can find someone and get us pointed in the right direction. Be right back."

Kendra and Seth watched as Warren flew off, then turned back to look at Mariana. "Uh, what are we supposed to do with her?" asked Seth.

"Beats me," said Kendra. "You have any way of regressing her back into that figurine?"

"No way," said Seth. "This is a job for the fairies."

Bright rolled her eyes. "Hardly. We can't even get the Translocator working again. Look."

Bright proceeded to conjure up the Translocator in her hands, but it was still in a stone form.

"You can't fix it?" asked Kendra.

"It would take more energy than the two of us could accumulate," said Clover. "It may be small, but the power of that thing is astronomical. Believe me, we'd fix it in a heartbreak if we could."

"And what about Mariana?" asked Seth, placing his hand upon the leviathan's large body.

"I'm afraid we're in no position to carry on with her," answered Bright. "We owe her a great lot, but it's not practical to have her go on any further. She's an aquatic creature, and can't thrive well on land."

Clover gazed across Mariana's extensive body from end to end, pondering as to whether or not there was a better solution to their problem. "Seth, you don't suppose there's a way for you to return Mariana to that figurine she came as?"

Seth scoffed. "Look, all I was told was that exposing the figurine to water would turn it into a life-size leviathan. It didn't come with any further instructions or anything. You fairies couldn't..."

"Sorry, Seth," said Bright, "but a magical creature this size, for us to reduce it down to a mere figurine, would be far too taxing on our power, and maybe even impossible at this point."

A moment later, Warren had flown back to the group. When he landed, Kendra and Seth could tell from the look on his face, that he was both incredibly fearful and cautious.

"Okay," said Warren, "I've got an update for us. We've docked in Northern California, not far from Oregon. Second, I've called home and explained the situation to Stan. They're going to destroy the shrine and flee. Since both parties will be on the move, it'll be impossible to keep in contact with each other. So, we're just going to have to play this whole scenario by ear.

Kendra stopped to think. "If something goes wrong, if we don't succeed at our mission, we'll never see any of our family or friends ever again..."

Seth looked up at Mariana, then over to Warren. "Warren," he said, "do we have to leave Mariana here like this?"

"I really don't see what other choice we have, Seth," replied Warren. "Don't get me wrong, I hate to just ditch Mariana like this. She's been a great asset, and allowed us to reach the Society in when they arrived in Aquaton. However, you have to realize that it just isn't possible for her to continue."

"But I don't want to just... leave her here," said Seth, tears forming in his eyes. "I know we haven't known Mariana very long, but... she's our friend."

"She's a wild animal," said Clover. "Bringing her along would be unfeasible."

"But she was a gift to me," sniffed Seth. "And after all this, I may never see her again."

"There might not even be an _again_," said Kendra, as she hugged her brother.

Mariana herself then moaned, and several tears dropped down from her eyes, down the sides of her snout, then onto the ground.

"I'm sorry," said Seth, as he threw his arms against Mariana's body. She was far too large for Seth to properly hug, but his intentions were still there.

"I know," said Warren, whose face lit up. "Mariana, there's an aquatic preserve off the coast of a small, uncharted island, south of the Marianas trench."

"What preserve?" asked Kendra.

"Duskreef Lagoon," answered Warren. "It's an island somewhere between Australia and New Zealand. If Mariana follows her intuition, she should find it eventually."

"So if we thwart Oblivion and Ashley, we could meet up with Mariana at this Duskreef Lagoon sometime?"

"If she finds the place," said Warren.

"Our real concern is stopping Oblivion and Ashley," exclaimed Raxtus. "And I don't know how on Earth we could ever hope to do that."

"You have to try," Raxtus," said Seth. "We all have to. And Mariana, you've done your part. For that, we owe you our thanks. We're going to give it our all, for you."

Mariana whined. She then stuck her tail out of the water and waved it up and down, as if she were waving goodbye with a hand.

Promise you'll try to find Duskreef Lagoon!" exclaimed Seth.

Mariana nodded, then submerged the rest of her body into the water and swam away. Seth was hoping that she might pop back up for a brief moment, but had a feeling that she wouldn't.

"Guess it's up to me," said Raxtus, as Kendra, Seth and Warren all climbed upon his back.

"We hate to abandon you now," said Bright, "but we'll recover better if we're in our own space."

"It's okay," said Warren, as he flew off of Raxtus' back, down to Clover, and gave her a fierce kiss on her lips. "If we don't live through this, just remember that, well, I love you."

"I love you too," said Clover, as she conjured up a shamrock in her hand, then placed it inside Warren's collar.

"Hey, we could use some of those too!" snapped Seth, as Warren flew back onto Raxtus. "Lots of them!"

"It doesn't really bring good luck," said Clover. "It's just a symbol. To show that I'll always be there."

"Good luck, you guys," said Bright, as she and Clover both waved goodbye, then vanished before their eyes.

Raxtus turned his head back and faced Kendra, Seth and Warren. "I guess this is it," he said. "Time to embark on what could possibly be the single longest, most urgent, and downright final flight I ever embark upon."

Raxtus in a deep breath, then flapped his wings and leaped into the air. Soon he was high off the ground and soaring in air, flying in an eastward direction. He was about to set out on a cross-country flight from the west coast of the United States to the east.

As Raxtus soared across the nation, Kendra and Seth couldn't help but dread what they were about to endure once they reached their destination, and could sense that Warren and Raxtus shared their thoughts. Oblivion and Ashley were essentially setting off a bomb that would destroy the world as they knew it, and they were heading straight into the heart of it.

The situation was had gotten truly grim. Oblivion and Ashley were simply far too powerful to contend with. And having been a fairy this entire time, Oblivion had done her homework. Not only had she barricaded the Fairy Realm off from the human one, if only so that the Fairy Queen wouldn't be able to intervene with her affairs, but she had rendered the five instruments of eternal power, along with their keepers, completely petrified.

From what Kendra could gather, they had two options, but she held her doubts that they would even work. The first was the one Warren had suggested; sneak up on Oblivion before she could finish building a substitute shrine.

The second was to try and find some way to penetrate the dimensional barrier. Even though all the fairies had failed before, there had to be some sort of fail-safe within the barrier if Oblivion intended to bypass it by creating a hairline fracture somehow. If they could crack this secret, they could enter the Fairy Kingdom, recruit the fairies and possibly stand up to Oblivion and Ashley.

But that wasn't going to work. Not now that the group at Fablehaven had been instructed to destroy the fairy shrine. As it stood, their only known key to the Fairy Kingdom was the Translocator. If only it hadn't been turned to stone, they could be avoiding this whole mess and would have already met up with the fairies. Unfortunately, Bright and Clover claimed that they simply weren't powerful enough to restore it. Maybe, as a last resort, the fairy angels could try with all their might to fix the Translocator.

Just as their journey across the Pacific Ocean on the back of Mariana passed relatively quickly, Raxtus ultimately arrived within the vicinity of Fablehaven within several hours. By now, it was deep within the darkest hours of night.

Now directly above Fablehaven, Raxtus swooped down and landed not by the house, but by the shore of the naiad pond. As Kendra, Seth and Warren climbed down off of Raxtus, they glanced across the pond at the island, where the now-demolished fairy shrine stood.

"This is it," said Warren. "I can only assume that Oblivion and Ashley haven't beaten us here."

"Where do we go from here?" asked Seth.

"I don't know," said Warren, his eyes fixated at the debris from the fairy shrine. "I just don't know."


	28. Lance a Lot

**Chapter 28: Lance-a-Lot**

As Seth, Kendra, Warren and Raxtus all walked away from the naiad pond, where the currently-demolished fairy shrine stood, they couldn't help but concern themselves with the issue at hand. They were running out of time, and while they had ideas, they had a tendency to only sound good in theory. Imagining the outcome would seemingly always lead to a loss.

Before long, Bright and Clover both reappeared beside Kendra. The destroyed fairy shrine was still visible from where they were standing, and was truly a sight for sore eyes for the two fairy angels.

"I can't believe it's gone. Again," said Clover sadly.

"Bracken had worked so hard on it too," added Bright.

"At least Oblivion can't use it," noted Warren.

"What good is that going to do?" asked Seth. "She can just construct another one any time she wants."

Soon the group had reached the yard. As with the rest of what they had seen of the preserve, it looked completely deserted.

"Where is everyone?" asked Seth. "Not just the humans, but the creatures?"

"Don't you remember?" retorted Kendra. "Our family's taken refuge elsewhere, and they've probably instructed the creatures to go into hiding or something."

"I at least want to know where our family is," said Seth.

Warren whipped out his cell phone and thumbed through the menu. "No messages or anything. I'll try calling them."

The others watched as Warren dialled a number and held the phone to his ear, only to hang up several seconds later.

"Stan's not answering," he said. "I try Dale."

As Warren proceeded to call his brother, a booming noise could be hear from somewhere in the distance.

"What was that?" asked Seth.

"It sounded like... thunder," said Kendra.

"That was _not _thunder," said Raxtus. "Sounded like someone roaring."

"You don't think..." said Clover.

"No!" shrieked Bright. "It's Tritanoss! I mean, Ashley! I mean... whatever!"

"Tritanoss?" asked Raxtus. "Quick! We gotta get out of here!"

"What good will that do?" asked Warren, who had given up on trying to call the others. "I mean, they're sure to spot us flying away."

The booming roar echoed again, only this time it was coming from a significantly closer point that the previous time.

"They're coming," muttered Clover. "Oh lord. The Sorensons had the right idea. We should've just stayed with Mariana and fled to Duskreef Lagoon. No way we can stop Ashley while she's Tritanoss."

"It's futile," said Seth. "We can't hide from this Oblivion. Not once she obtains the Omega Star."

"I know," said Clover. "But maybe our fellow fairies back home can stand up to her and Ashley when they venture there."

"Maybe if defeating Oblivion and Ashley is out of the question," said Seth, "could we somehow follow them into the Fairy Kingdom when they pass through? At least then we could try to meet up with the Fairy Queen or something."

"It might not work," said Bright. "And if those two are already there, we'd be too late to stop them. They're not gonna waste time when they force the keepers to surrender their instruments to them."

Moments later, a dark, heavy presence had suddenly began looming over the entire preserve. Sure enough, Ashley, still in her Tritanoss form, was now soaring towards the center of the preserve from the west end. It was obvious that the distractor spell made no difference. Ashley was huge. Kendra could only assume that she was longer than several city blocks. Seth assumed that she could go head to head with King Ghidorah. And win.

"What do we do?" squealed Raxtus. "We're doomed!"

As if by instinct, the group all darted into a rather dense grove of trees. However, it was still possible for them to gaze up into the sky and watch as Oblivion and Ashley made their entrance. By the time they were close enough, everyone could see that Oblivion was standing atop Ashley's humongous head, as if she were in complete control.

Ashley turned her head towards the naiad pond. No doubt she and Oblivion were discovering that the shrine was in ruins. From what the group could sense, the two villains were no doubt outraged that the shrine was no long in tact.

"Is anybody there?" boomed Oblivion's voice through what had to have been a megaphone. "Where are you hiding? You know its pointless. I'm just going to build another shrine myself and enter the Fairy Kingdom anyway. You're only delaying the inevitable."

Kendra glanced over at the rest of her friends and could see them all dreading in fear. If they got caught, they were doomed.

"I suppose we can just wait for when Oblivion gives up and see if we can catch her constructing her own fairy shrine?" asked Seth. "I mean, if not then, then when?"

"Maybe we should lure our friends out of hiding," said Oblivion. "Take out some land as a warning, Ashley."

Ashley opened her massive mouth, revealing teeth that were the size of houses. She then let out a devastating roar and unleash a huge bolt of lightning at the ground. Ashley aimed the electricity forward by a good acres. The bolt destroyed all the trees in its path, leaving behind nothing but a trail of charred, burning, indented ground.

"How're we supposed to deal with _that_?" asked Seth. "She'll kill us!"

"We don't have the man-power to stop her," said Warren. "Or fairy-power. Or dragon-power."

Kendra looked up at Ashley, praying to herself that they wouldn't get caught so easily. The demon's eel-like body loomed over the preserve, expelling its ominous presence. "Warren's right. We don't have any power to stand up against Oblivion."

"What about fairy power?" asked Seth. "It's how you stopped Navarog, isn't it?"

"But you were a part of Navarog, then," stated Clover. "Ashley's not sharing that body with anyone."

"But she's not the actual Tritanoss," said Raxtus. "She's just a human. Sort of. So fairy influence might do the trick."

"You're right!" exclaimed Clover. "Let's just round up all the fairies and..."

"And what?" asked Kendra.

Clover's face turned white. "They're all back... in the Fairy Kingdom."

"Wait a minute," said Seth. "Aren't you fairy angels supposed to be like fifty time as powerful as standard fairies? There weren't even twenty that other time."

"Seth," said Bright. "Clover and I may have enough magic between the two of us, but triggering Kendra' fairyprime power would take, well, more than two fairies and a fairy dragon."

"What do the extra fairies do?" asked Warren. "If it's not their power that's needed, then what is?"

"I'm not sure," answered Bright. " Fairy magic is partially fuelled by heart and love. That's why Oblivion is unable to use her magic to harm anyone, since she is a fairy."

"And the three of might not be enough," said Raxtus.

"Then I'll help if it's possible," said Warren. "I may not be a fairy, but if I can lend my heart..."

"Me too," said Seth.

"I don't know if this'll work," said Bright. "It's never even been attempted before."

"Then let's attempt it," said Seth.

"We'll all hold hands around Kendra and try it," said Bright, as she, Clover, Seth, Warren and Raxtus all stood in a circle around Kendra and held each others hands."

Everyone in the circle closed their eyes and squeezed their hands. Kendra watched as Bright, who was standing in front of her, transformed into a glowing ball of rainbow-colored light. Next to her was a ball of green light, that had been Clover. Next to Clover was another green ball, Warren. Kendra turned around and saw a blue ball, which was Seth. Finally, between Seth and Bright was a platinum ball, Raxtus.

All at once, the five balls flew into Kendra filling her body with a tremendous flow of energy. However, immediately something didn't feel quite right. The last time Kendra and become fairyprime, she grew wings and her hair changed in color to match Bright's. She examined a lock of her hair and saw that it was still light brown, as it always was.

In spite of this new feeling, Kendra could still feel the magic channelling inside of her, and was able to float up into the air.

This was it. It was time to try and defeat Tritanoss, even if she wasn't quite as powerful as before. She rose up above the trees, and soon caught the attention of both Oblivion and Ashley.

"Kendra," said Oblivion through her megaphone. "There you are. Come to surrender? Don't try any stupid tricks. As Tritanoss, Ashley is completely invulnerable.

Ashley then proceeded to open her mouth, as if she was going to fire lightning at Kendra. "NO!" boomed Oblivion, prompting Ashley to close her mouth. "I sense greater power coming from Kendra than before. It's as if Kendra's been given additional power from her fairy friends. Power that I can use to get a hold of the instruments even faster!"

Oblivion aimed her hands at Kendra, then used a peculiar force to pull Kendra's body in closer to hers. Kendra retaliated in shooting a force of energy, in the form of a faint rainbow, back at Oblivion. However, it didn't even shatter the force field that was surrounding her body.

Kendra tried to pull herself away from Oblivion, but the dark fairy's force was simply too powerful. She was getting closer and closer, to the point where Kendra was only several yards away from Oblivion herself.

Suddenly, a loud screech boomed, startling everyone. Oblivion lost her grip on Kendra, prompting the girl to try and flee for her life. She didn't know what the screech was, but she was extremely grateful.

"Leave her alone!" exclaimed Lance from off to the side. Kendra turned her head and saw Lance, riding atop of Jet, floating in the air.

"Lance!" exclaimed Kendra, who didn't know what to think. "Jet!"

"Lance?" gasped Oblivion. "Wait a minute. Who cares?"

"I care!" yelled Lance. "These Knights of the Dawn are some of the greatest people I've had the privilege of knowing! I can't stand to see them lose to a monster like you, Oblivion. I can't believe you even are a fairy."

"Ashley, this little brat has outlived his purpose and is irritating me. Destroy him."

"No!" screamed Lance. Jet squawked in response.

"You'll have to get past me, first!" said Kendra, as she flew in front of Lance and Jet, then held out her arms.

"Forget the brat," said Oblivion. "Kendra's right where I want her."

Oblivion proceeded to magically pull Kendra inwards again. This time, however, Jet grabbed hold of her arm with her beak, and attempted to help pull Kendra away from Oblivion.

With one hand still focused on pulling in Kendra, Oblivion aimed her free hand at Jet. "This'll go a lot faster if I turn that phoenix into a real turkey."

Oblivion fired a blast of magic towards Jet, only for it to fizzle out completely upon reaching Kendra.

"What's happening?" asked Lance.

"My fairyprime powers must've shielded Jet from Oblivion's magic!" exclaimed Kendra.

"Fairyprime?" asked Lance. "What's that?"

"Long story short, the rest of my team lent me their power," said Kendra hesitantly.

"How exactly?" asked Lance, as Jet continued to pull Kendra away from Oblivion.

"I dunno," said Kendra. "But so what? It wasn't enough. Unless...

"Unless what?"

"Maybe you could lend me your power?"

Lance's jaw dropped. "I don't have any power! I'm no fairy!"

"Warren and Seth aren't either, but that didn't stop them."

"Then what do we do?" asked Lance.

"Bright, Clover and Raxtus used their magic to turn themselves, along with Seth and Warren into some sort of energy, which I absorbed. And if I have their power... Lance! Grab my other arm! Just do it!"

Lance reached over Jet's head and grabbed hold of Kendra free left arm. "Okay," said Kendra. "I can do this!"

Kendra concentrated, and soon both Lance and Jet had transformed into balls of magical energy. Lance's was orange, while Jet's was golden. She then absorbed both forces of energy, and felt even more magic surging through her.

Suddenly, it happened. Wing spurted out of Kendra's back, just like the first time she had gone fairyprime. She then felt her hair glow, and examined a lock. Sure enough, they had become rainbow-colored streaks, just like the ones Bright had.

"What are you _doing_?" exclaimed Oblivion. "You look... ridiculous!"

"That's what Navarog thought," said Kendra, as she flew over to Oblivion's side. "Just before I defeated him."

Oblivion unleashed a wave of dark energy upon Kendra, much like she had the first time they had met. However, this magic failed to penetrate her body whatsoever.

"It's not working!" cried Oblivion.

"Maybe _this_ will!" exclaimed Kendra, as she shot a rainbow at the dark fairy. Upon contact, it shattered Oblivion's force field, knocking her towards the back of Ashley's head.

"You stupid..." snarled Oblivion, as she got up and flew over to Kendra. "I'm going to..."

"Going to... _what_?" asked Kendra, her heart racing with confidence. "Do you have any idea how powerful I am?"

"How powerful?" asked Oblivion.

Without speaking, Kendra aimed a blast of magic down at at tree. It began to grow longer and longer, stretching and twisting with seemingly not limit.

"A green thumb?" asked Oblivion?"

Ashley retaliated by blasting the trunk of the tree with electricity, knocking off the upper portion of it. However, the tree continued to grow, as if Ashley's attack didn't even phase it. It then wrapped itself around Ashley's neck, nearly crushing Oblivion in the process.

"Is that all?" snapped Oblivion. "Ashley can break this tree no sweat."

Kendra unleashed another wave of magic upon the tree, transforming it into an equally large chain, which proceeded to pull Ashley down to ground, slamming her body against numerous trees and bushes. The shape-shifter struggled to break free, but the strength of the chain was too great for her.

"Don't transform," said Oblivion in an assuring voice, as she flew down towards Ashley's head. "If you do, you won't be able to harness Tritanoss' power!"

Kendra followed Oblivion down to where Ashley was, and glared into the dark fairy's eyes. They were completely bloodshot and baggy, but it was obvious to her that Oblivion simply didn't care.

"Break the chain," said Oblivion. "Break free and crush Kendra."

Ashley struggled to move her body, but the force of the chain, thanks to Kendra's fairyprime magic, was far too great for even Ashley to demolish.

"You can't keep Ashley here forever," said Oblivion. "Tritanoss is immortal. He had to be sealed up for eternity because it was impossible to truly defeat him. As long as Ashley poses as Tritanoss, you'll never defeat her."

Kendra pondered for a second, then realized something that made her smile. "Since Ashley is only posing as Tritanoss, as would be the case with any animal, she's still... in way... human. Sort of."

"What do you mean?" asked Oblivion.

"It means I can do... this!"

Kendra raised her arms into the air and clenched her fingers. Suddenly a swirling ball of rainbow energy formed between her hands, growing in size until it was a large as a beach ball. Kendra then directed the ball of energy down towards Ashley. The power of the ball consumed Ashley like wildfire, its colorful magic engulfing her enormous body as if a display of dominoes had been set off.

Once Ashley's entire body had been consumed by Kendra's magic, it began to shrink rapidly. Kendra and Oblivion both watch as the mighty demon shrank down in size at an alarming rate. Once Ashley was no larger than a blue whale, Kendra and Oblivion witnessed as Ashley continued to shrink down even further, until she had ultimately transformed into a pig.

"Ashley?" gasped Oblivion, flying down to the ground where the pig was standing. "What's going on? Turn back into Tritanoss right now!"

"I... I can't!" oinked Ashley.

"That's right," said Kendra. "I don't know how powerful Tritanoss truly is, but I definitely outclass Ashley. And that's what matters."

"If she can't undo the magic, I will!" said Oblivion, preparing to attempt to revert Ashley from being a pig."

"You think I'm just gonna stand here and let you even try?" asked Kendra. "Never!"

Kendra blasted a rainbow, bursting with power, directly at Oblivion. The dark fairy screamed in horror as her entire body turned entirely to stone. Now completely motionless, Kendra ceased her rainbow attack. Before her stood Oblivion, her body now nothing more than a terrified and petrified grey sculpture.

"What did you do?" squealed Ashley.

Kendra laughed. "Oblivion wanted my power, right? Well, she certainly got it, wouldn't you say?"

Ashley oinked, then scurried off away from Kendra into the woods.

"Oh no you don't!" said Kendra shooting a small blast of energy at Ashley. Rather than affecting Ashley directly, upon contact with the pig, it caused a small, barred cage to materialized around her body essentially trapping her.

"You can't leave me as a pig!" snorted Ashley. "Why, I'll..."

Kendra wanted to think of a snappy comeback, but she couldn't. She was still too ecstatic over the recent turn of events, that she was too speechless to even say a word. Instead, she just bent down, looked through the bars of the cage at Ashley, and smiled.


	29. Restoration

**Chapter 29: Restoration**

Standing tall in a clearing in an area of Fablehaven, Kendra, in her fairyprime form, observed the two enemies that were surrounding her. To one side was Oblivion, frozen in a terrified stone form by Kendra's unparalleled power. On her other side was Ashley, stuck not only in a cage, but in the form of a pig.

"I did it," said Kendra with a heavy smile. "I really did it!"

"You weren't supposed to win," squealed Ashley from within her cage. "This shouldn't be happening!"

Choosing to ignore Ashley's rambling, Kendra turned away from the shape-shifter. "I need some help," she said. "I don't know what to do now."

Kendra closed her eyes, and allowed the power that she was harnessing to flow out of her body in the form of several balls of energy. As this happened, Kendra could feel herself growing weaker. Her wings retracted back into her shoulder blades, and she could sense that her hair was also turning back to normal.

The balls of energy all stopped in place several feet away from Kendra, where they each turned back into one of her allies.

"That... was awesome!" cried Seth, raising his fists into the air. "I didn't know we had it in us!"

"I'm surprised too," said Warren. "It really meant something, being able to help Kendra like that."

Lance, who was taking a deep breath, soon cracked a heavy smile. "We really showed her, didn't we! I mean, Kendra was in control, but we were totally apart of her!"

"We couldn't have done it without you and your heart," said Bright, "and Jet's."

"Without you, Lance," said Clover, "we probably would've just... lost."

Lance looked like he wanted to say something in response, but was too excited to think of anything.

"Hold on a second," said Warren. "It's a miracle that Lance was even around. What exactly were you doing here, Lance? I told everyone here at Fablehaven to evacuate, which apparently they did."

"That's what happened?" asked Lance confusedly. "I had just gone for a ride on Jet this afternoon, and when I came back, everyone was gone!"

"So while everyone was fleeing, they didn't come for Lance?" asked Seth.

"I didn't know where Lance was when I called," said Warren. "And apparently, nor did anyone back here. And if Lance as out somewhere with Jet, it's no surprise that they couldn't contact him when they had to leave urgently."

"I feel... weird," said Jet, placing a wing over her head. "That experience, it was... it changed me. I just feel so free and invigorated. Like I don't need to concentrate on everything all the time. It feels nice."

"Your voice sounds more natural too," said Kendra.

"Jet, what's twenty-four times nine?" asked Warren.

"Uh, I'm not sure, really," replied Jet. "Why do you ask?"

"She's changed all right," said Warren. "I think forcing her into that fairyprime form changed her for the better. Now she has an organic soul to go with her organic body."

"You really think so?" asked Jet. "That's amazing!

"Well," said Raxtus. "We've stopped the enemies. Now what do we do?"

"I dunno," said Seth, walking over to the statue of Oblivion. "What if this spell wears off?"

"I wouldn't count on it," said Bright. "You saw what Kendra's magic did to Tritanoss, right?"

"Speaking of which," said Lance, "what are we supposed to do with Ashley? We can't just let her run loose, even if she is a pig."

Ashley then muttered some unintelligible gibberish to herself, much of which sounded like cursing.

"As long as she's a pig," said Seth, "I bet she'd make so great bacon, huh?"

"Gross!" exclaimed Kendra.

"Eating the enemy?" asked Warren. "No way. That just isn't kosher! How 'bout we just feed her to the trolls?"

"Forget the death penalties!" said Kendra. "Even if Oblivion is out of the picture, how're we going to undo everything she's done to the Fairy Kingdom? The barrier? The curses? The Translocator? What are we supposed to do about all that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" asked Seth. "If you were able to overpower Oblivion and her magic while fairyprime, why shouldn't you be able to do so again?

"He's got a point," said Clover. "Might as well return to being fairyprime and try to fix things once more."

"Here's the Translocator," said Bright, conjuring up the stone artifact and handing it over to Kendra. "Good luck."

Once again, everyone stood around Kendra and held hands, or claws, in the case of Raxtus, wings in the case of Jet. Bright and Clover then focused their minds, turning the group into balls of energy, which in turn flew back into Kendra, restoring her to her proper fairyprime form.

Her body now bursting full of power once more, Kendra tightened her grip on the Translocator that she was holding. Focusing entirely on the Translocator, Kendra could feel energy flowing through her hands and into the artifact. Before long, she could feel the Translocator turning from a stone cylinder back into one made of platinum, encrusted with jewels. It worked. Her magic had been powerful enough to revert the Translocator back to its working condition.

Kendra contemplated about where she should go. Although her body was brimming with seemingly endless power, she had no idea as to how to go about penetrating the barrier. Perhaps someone in the Fairy Kingdom would be able to help her.

Nevertheless, there was still the backdoor. Kendra wound up the Translocator and placed it down on the ground. Next, she merely concentrated on shrinking herself down, and before long, she stood only several inches high. She then placed her hands on the Translocator, and focused on the vent leading into the Fairy Kingdom.

The Translocator worked its magic, hurling Kendra through space, where she appeared at the exit to the vent that connected the knapsack to the Fairy Kingdom. She then flew out of the vent into the Fairy Kingdom proper, where everything appeared to still be in order. Next, she reached into the vent and pulled out the Translocator.

Not knowing where else to go, Kendra took off and flew towards where she remembered the royal castle was located. As she flew over the scenic fairy countryside, she couldn't help but admire its beauty, the fact that it was night here as well didn't matter to her. Even the thought of flying around on her own wasn't enough to deter Kendra from her true goal.

Before long, Kendra had arrived in the town square, just outside the castle. It was very quiet outside, no doubt in part to it being late at night. She opted to dart across the area to the front gate of the castle, where two fairy guards stood.

"Bright?" asked one of the guards upon glancing at Kendra. "Is that you?"

"It's me, Kendra! I need to see the Fairy Queen right away!"

"As if she had no choice, the guard nodded and opened the gate, while the second one began to escort Kendra through the garden towards the front door to the castle. Much like on her previous visit, the guard led her upstairs, only not to the throne room, but another room nearby. She then knocked on the door.

"Your majesty!" said the guard through the door. I'm sorry to awaken you at this our, but Kendra is here! She wishes to see you!"

There was a short pause. Kendra looked at the guard, then at the door, but nothing happened. Was the Fairy Queen in denial or something? Or was she just sound asleep?

At last, the Fairy Queen strode out of her bedroom, then took a look at Kendra. "Oh my. So this is your fairyprime form. But, what are you doing here?"

"I... that is to say, we... defeated Oblivion!"

"You're kidding!" gasped the Fairy Queen.

"No!" exclaimed Kendra. "You see... oh, I've got so much to tell you!"

"Take it easy," said the Fairy Queen, placing her arm around Kendra's shoulder.

"The keepers!" said Kendra. "We need to help them!"

"Well, they've been rendered immobile due to Oblivion's magic. If Oblivion's truly been defeated, even I should be able to remove the spell. Guard, fetch Bracken and tell him to meet us in Brillia's chamber.

"Yes, your majesty," said the guard, as she dashed off.

The Fairy Queen led Kendra through the castle, back up to the tower where Brillia stood. As they entered the door, Kendra could see Brillia, still in the exact same pose as last time, and still encased in mysterious black glow.

"Kendra?" asked Bracken. Kendra turned around and saw her good friend standing directly behind her. "What's going on? Is this your fairyprime form?"

"Bracken!" cried Kendra, throwing her arms around Bracken. "We won! We really won! We've defeated Oblivion!"

"Kendra," said Bracken, hugging her back. "Are you serious?"

"We'll find out," said the Fairy Queen focusing colorful glow of magic upon Brillia. After only a second, the black magic that had encased Brillia disappeared, enabling the fairy angel to move again.

"What's going on?" asked Brillia, rubbing her head, as the Fairy Queen and Bracken both hugged her. Now getting glimpse of what Brillia actually looked like, Kendra saw that she sported shimmering golden hair and a matching dress. "Are you Kendra?"

"Yes," said Kendra confidently. "We just saved you. It's a long story, believe me."

"Look," said Bracken, directing everyone attention over to the Accelerizer. "The Accelerizer is back to normal!"

Kendra gazed into the pedestal, and saw that the Accelerizer, due to it being tied to Brillia was no longer rendered immobile. Brillia reached down and picked up the instrument, then placed it back down where it belonged.

"Your majesty," said Kendra, "with Oblivion no longer an influence, are you going to be able to restore the rest of the keepers? And the barrier between my world and this one?

"Absolutely. If I was able to restore Brillia this easily, the other keepers and even the barrier shouldn't be any more trouble."

"Oh, and may I revert from my fairyprime form here? My friends deserve gratitude as well."

"Absolutely," said the Fairy Queen. "I'll return soon."

At that moment, the Fairy Queen disappeared, no doubt transporting herself to one of the other keepers. Next, Kendra allowed herself to return to normal, allowing all of her friends to reappear alongside her.

"Whoa," said Brillia, admiring the group.

"Hey, sis!" said Bright, giving her eldest sister a big hug.

"I recognize you and Clover," said Brillia, "and even Raxtus. "But who're those three? And the phoenix?"

"These people are my brother Seth, my cousin Warren, and our friend Lance. And the phoenix is Jet."

"Take it easy, girls," said Bracken. "Let's all head back to the throne room. We can rendezvous with mom there once she gets back."

Bracken led the entire group back through the castle towards the throne room. As they passed through the place, both Kendra and Seth could sense that Lance was truly awestruck at the whole experience.

Bracken and Brillia led the group into the throne room, which was just as impressive and decorative as it had been during Kendra's previous visit. Off to the side was an area where several elegant couches and tables had been arranged. The group sat down, all feeling exhausted. No doubt lending their power to Kendra for her fairyprime form had left them all feeling somewhat drained.

"Just relax," said Brillia, as she waved her hands around, causing mugs of steaming hot tea to appear on the tables before everyone. "My mother will return soon."

"As everyone proceeded to drink their tea, the Fairy Queen entered the room, followed by Tiara, Opal and two other full-sized fairies.

"We've heard the good news," said Tiara, as she approached the group and began shaking everybody's hand. "Thank you so much."

"Is it true you've really defeated that Oblivion character?" asked Opal.

"I don't believe we've met," said one of the other fairies, who sported platinum hair. "I'm Bravia."

"And I'm Brook," said the last fairy, whose white hair sparkled as though it was full of tiny crystals.

"Mom just gave us all a quick rundown on the situation," said Bravia, as she and the other fairy angels all sat down. "Could you enlighten us a bit more?"

"Of course," said Kendra. "Well, you see, Oblivion had devised a plan to awaken a demon by the name of Tritanoss. Although Oblivion didn't have the power to control this demon, Ashley, her shape-shifting accomplice..."

"Hold on a second," said Bracken. "Did you just say that Oblivion was a _she_?"

"Oh yes," said Seth. "We later learned that Oblivion was actually a dark fairy who was exiled from the Fairy Kingdom.

The Fairy Queen's jaw dropped. "I never thought..."

"Once a fairy is banished from the Fairy Kingdom," began Brook, "they never manage to return. They just... disappear."

"Well, not Oblivion," said Warren. "After years of training, she harnessed her magic and worked her way into Society of the Evening Star, though kept her true identity a secret from everyone."

"I'm very sorry that this happened," said the Fairy Queen. "We never banish fairies without first stripping them of their power. Either she faked losing her power, or regained it later on."

"As I was saying," said Kendra, "Oblivion had no way of controlling Tritanoss, so she gave Ashley the power to copy Tritanoss' form, so that she would be all-powerful herself. We were unable to foil their plan, and they came very close to invading the Fairy Kingdom! Had they made it, I don't know what you would've been able to do to stop them."

"How did you stop them?" asked Opal.

"Well, we placed all our money on turning Kendra to her fairyprime form," said Bright, "even though, Clover, Raxtus and myself were the only fairies around. Warren and Seth lent us their hearts, but it wasn't enough for Kendra to reach her true fairyprime potential. In fact, Oblivion almost destroyed us!"

"Thankfully," said Clover, "Lance showed up with Jet. With their additional support, Kendra was able to tap into her fairyprime form. She then single-handedly stopped both Ashley and Oblivion!"

"Incredible!" exclaimed Tiara. "But, isn't Tritanoss supposed to be some massive, unstoppable demon? How'd you do it?"

"I guess we owe some thanks to Ashley not being a full-fledged demon," said Warren.

Lance snorted. "The way she treated most people, she came pretty close."

"Well, thanks to all of you, the Fairy Kingdom is safe," said the Fairy Queen. "Is there anything that we fairies can do for you?"

"Ashley did quite a bit of destruction to Fablehaven," said Warren. "Think you could maybe spruce the place up a bit?"

"Of course," said the Fairy Queen.

"And what about Oblivion and Ashley themselves?" asked Kendra. "We left them as a statue and a pig back at Fablehaven under no supervision!"

"Why don't you all return to Fablehaven for the moment?" asked the Fairy Queen. "Get some rest. We'll fix the place up for you in no time."

"Wait!" exclaimed Seth. "What about my family? They all fled before we got back!"

"I'll see to it that they return safely," said the Fairy Queen. "Wherever they are."

Kendra pulled out the Translocator and twisted it. "Well, if everybody's ready."

"We'll stay in touch with you," said Bracken. "Don't worry!"

"Goodbye," said Kendra, as everyone in her group placed their hand, claw or wing upon the Translocator, which instantly whooshed them back to the clearing at Fablehaven.

The group looked around and saw that the statue of Oblivion was still where they had left it. However, the cage that Ashley had been in was empty! The bars had apparently been torn open by someone or something.

"Oh no!" moaned Kendra. "Ashley's loose!"

"I think I found her," said Seth, directing Kendra's attention to her rear. She then turned around and saw a nearby orc, gnashing away on a pig's half-eaten body.

"Oh," grumbled the burly, green orc in a deep, grovelly voice. "Was this pig yours? Sorry, but pig was just sitting there. I got hungry."

"Keep it," said Warren. "We didn't really want that pig in the first place. Let the orc have his pork."

"Thank you," said the orc, as he walked off through the tree, continuing to eat Ashley.

"Well, that takes care of her," said Raxtus. "But what about Oblivion?"

"Our kin will find a way to deal with her," said Clover. "Give it some time."

"I'm exhausted," said Seth. "Let's just head back to the house and get some sleep. We can celebrate in the morning!"

"Race ya!" said Warren, as he began dashing towards in the direction of the house.

"I'll beat you both!" said Jet, as she stretched out her wings.

"No fair!" laughed Seth, as Raxtus joined in the race, purposely flying close to the ground and slow enough for the two humans to keep up with him. Before long, Bright and Clover had joined in as well.

Soon the only people left behind were Kendra and Lance. Though Kendra was overly happy, she couldn't help but notice that Lance seemed disappointed.

"Lance," she said, "what's wrong? We just won! You should be thrilled!"

"Oh, I'm very happy," said Lance softly. "It's just that... well... I said I wanted to get back to a normal life. And now that we've defeated Oblivion, I guess that's gonna happen soon. Maybe I should've asked the fairies for help."

"Lance," said Kendra. "The fairies are wonderful. They truly are. But, I don't think that your situation is really in their jurisdiction."

"I guess," said Lance. "I mean, I'm going to end up somewhere. But now that I've experienced Fablehaven for what it truly is, I'm going to miss the place. And worst of all, I'm going to miss all of you."

At that moment, Lance broke down, began to cry, and gave Kendra a hug.

"It's okay," said Kendra, patting Lance's back. "We'll help you. After all you done and been through, we're not going to just forget about you. Don't worry."

"Thank you", sobbed Lance softly.


	30. Praise

**Chapter 30: Praise**

Kendra woke up the next morning, feeling completely rejuvenated. What had happened that previous night, it felt like nothing more than a bad dream. But had she really experienced everything?

Kendra trotted downstairs to the bathroom, washed up and ventured back up to her room to change into fresh clothes, not drawing the attention of anybody else in the process. Her stomach grumbling, Kendra opted to head down to the kitchen, hoping to find herself some breakfast.

As Kendra walked into the kitchen she saw Warren sitting at the table by himself, arms folded in his lap. "Good morning, Kendra."

"Warren!" gasped Kendra. "Where is everybody?"

"We've been waiting for you, sleepyhead. They're all out back in the garden. They won't all fit in here."

Feeling ever so nervous, Kendra followed Warren outside, where surely enough, all of her family and friends were waiting for her, most of whom were seated at patio tables.

"Kendra!" exclaimed Mrs. Sorenson, as she ran over to her daughter and hugged her. "You did it! We're all right!"

"We're all very proud of you," said Mr. Sorenson, as he took his turn to hug Kendra.

"Warren told us everything," said Grandpa. "And in honor of your victory, we've thrown you all a victory breakfast!"

"Eat up," said Grandma. "we've got croissants, fruits, eggs, sausages and more!"

"But that's not all," said Grandpa. "I've spoken to Trask, and he's making arrangements for a celebration at the Fairbanks'."

"Who're the Fairbanks'?" asked Seth.

"That's right, you're not familiar with them," said Grandma. "Basically, they're wealthy affiliates of the Knights of the Dawn. Kendra went to their home for a meeting before travelling to Lost Mesa last year."

"Please, Kendra," said Grandpa. "Help yourself to some food and eat up. We've got a big day ahead of us!"

Kendra went over to a buffet table and loaded a plate with pieces of melon, a croissant, a sausage and some scrambled egg, then made her way over to a nearby spot by a fish pond where Raxtus was curled up.

"You hungry, Raxtus?" asked Kendra, offering her sausage to the fairy dragon.

"Thanks," said Raxtus, accepting the sausage and tossing it into his mouth. "We did good, didn't we?"

"Yup," said Kendra, leaning back against Raxtus, as she started to eat a slice of melon. "We sure did."

A few minutes later, after Kendra had finished her plate, Lance strolled up to her, looking somewhat worried.

"What's wrong?" asked Kendra.

"I heard your folks talking earlier. They were doing what they could to find me a _normal_ home. Man, I wish I'd kept my mouth shut before. After experiencing Fablehaven first-hand, I feel that I'd be much happier living in a place like this, rather than being shut-off from it entirely."

"It's all right," said Kendra. "I barely kept in touch with the magical world for nearly a year after my first visit here. It'll never truly leave you."

"But at least Stan and Ruth are your grandparents. You had a reason to come back here. If I get sent off to live with someone else, who knows if I'll ever make it back here."

"I'm sure they're doing what they can to make sure you don't get neglected," said Kendra. "But as for what that is, I don't have the slightest idea. Sorry."

The breakfast lasted until the early afternoon, at which much of the food had been replaced with salads, devilled eggs, roast chicken, vegetable sticks and more. Kendra and Seth spent much of the time talking to their family, in addition to their friends like Lance, Bright, Clover, Raxtus and Jet. Even Newel and Doren had been relieved of their duty, and were back as well.

As the late afternoon approached, Seth came around to Kendra. "Guess what! We're going to the Fairbanks tonight for dinner!"

"Tonight?" asked Kendra. "But they live all the way down in Georgia!"

"They said something about taking Jet soon. You should get ready!"

Was this for real? Nevertheless, Kendra went back inside, washed up once again, then searched her closet for something to wear, but couldn't decide upon anything.

"What's wrong?" asked Bright, who was standing by the door to Kendra's room.

"We're going to a fancy gathering tonight, and I don't know what I should wear. What do you think?"

"How about _this_?" asked Bright, as she directed her magic at Kendra. Within an instant, Kendra was suddenly wearing a long, gorgeous, white gown.

Kendra smiled in awe. "Just like Cinderella," she said. "Thank you, Bright!"

"I'm not really supposed to spoil you like this, but... who cares? Enjoy your gown!"

When Kendra went back downstairs to wait in the living room, everyone gave her compliments on her gown. Mrs. Sorenson remarked that she had never seen the gown before in her life. Despite that, when Kendra explain to her that she had been given the gown by Bright, Mrs. Sorenson didn't appear to be jealous or upset. She completely approved.

Everyone soon gathered in the living room, wearing either a dress or a tuxedo. Even Dale, who never seemed to leave the preserve, had dressed up.

"Who'll be looking after Fablehaven while we're gone?" asked Kendra.

"Don't worry," said Grandpa. "The Knights of the Dawn are sending over several of their top men, who will be assisted by both Hugo and Mendigo. It's only for a few hours, so there shouldn't be any problems."

Grandpa then stopped to look at his watch. "Oh, our ride will be ready any moment, let's go outside!"

As everyone left the living room and stepped out into the front yard, Seth stopped to look at everybody. "Uh, no offence, but why are we all dressed up fancy if we're riding to this place on the back of Jet? And for that matter, how're we all gonna fit?"

"Seth," said Grandma, "we're not riding there on Jet the phoenix. We're riding there on a jet. A _private_ jet."

At that moment, a small jet plane soared down from above the trees and landed in a clearing in the front yard.

"Awesome," said Seth, once the plane came to a complete stop and the engines had shut down.

At that point, a stairway unfolded from beneath the door on the sleek, white jet, which then opened up. Several unidentifiable people stepped off the plane, as did Aaron Stone.

"Good afternoon," said Aaron. "There folks here are the temporary guards that will be looking after Fablehaven for the night. "As for the rest of you, come on in! Except for the dragon and the phoenix. Sorry, but you're both a bit too large to fly in here."

"We could shrink you two down," said Clover to Raxtus and Jet.

"Or Raxtus could just assume his human form," said Kendra.

"Nah," said Raxtus, "Jet and I would rather just fly alongside the plane."

"That's why we were given wings," added Jet.

"All right," said Kendra, "see you two when we get there."

Aaron then got back on the plane, and was followed on-board by all the human and fairy passengers. Inside the posh-looking cabin were several leather sofas, along with tables, curtains and a minibar. Kendra and Seth sauntered over to one of the sofas and plopped themselves down, as did the rest of the passengers.

A moment later, the jet began speeding along the grounds of Fablehaven, before ascending into the air very quick and smoothly. Gazing out one of the windows, Kendra and Seth both watched as their winged friends were flying to the side. As fun as it was to ride on the backs of either a dragon or phoenix, a nice, cushy ride on a private plane had its perks as well. During the flight, Grandpa mentioned that the caretaker of Duskreef Lagoon had called earlier to inform him that Mariana had made it there.

In little less than two hours, the plane began to descend. By this point, the sun was close to setting. Everyone peered outside as the plane reached a clearing somewhere in the countryside.

Soon the plane landed, then strolled along the ground momentarily before finally stopping.

"We're here," said Aaron, coming out from the cockpit and opening the entry door. "Come on out."

Kendra and Seth joined the group as they made their way out the door and walked down off the plane. They were now in the grand backyard of the Fairbanks' estate, not far from the mansion. Kendra had been here before, but never to this part. To Seth, this visit was a whole new experience for him.

"Hello!" said Trask, who had been waiting for everyone from the patio. "Well done, everyone! You've done a fantastic job!"

As the group, now rejoined by Raxtus and Jet, walked over to Trask, he greeted everyone with a firm handshake.

"I'd thank you all right now, but that can wait for the dinner, I think. Please, come on in! Everybody's waiting for you!"

Trask led the group through a pair a large, glass doors, into what appeared to be a ballroom. Numerous people, most of whom neither Seth or Kendra even recognized, had been standing around and talking to one another. They all turned to greet the group with smiles on their faces. Most of them were eager to shake everyone's hand, although Kendra and Seth would at least try to comply to everyone who offered. One of the faces they quickly recognized were Mara's.

"I'm glad you're okay," said Tanu, while shaking as many hands as he could. "I take it my potions were of some use to you."

"You bet," said Bright. "Fairy magic can only go so far."

"By the way, Raxtus," said Tanu, "someone's waiting for you in the conservatory."

"Really?" asked Raxtus.

"I'll lead the way," said Kendra, remembering back to her previous visit. She then led Raxtus through the ballroom, while Seth and Lance tagged along behind. She then ventured down a large, spacious hallway, one that Raxtus could easily pass through.

"In here," said Kendra, opening up the glass doors. As they stepped through into the conservatory, they could see Opal, Tiara, Brillia, Bravia, Brook and Bracken all sitting on benches, along with dozens of smaller fairies floating in the air. Standing next to them was Geminus.

"Geminus!" cried Raxtus, as he ran over to his mate and gave her a hug. "You came!"

"How could I not?" she asked, hugging Raxtus back. "I had to come. Someone's waiting to meet you."

Geminus reached down and picked up an egg, no bigger than that of an ostrich's and presented it to Raxtus.

"It's our baby," she said, as Raxtus accepted the egg. "I laid it just two days ago."

Raxtus appeared to be overcome with joy, that he could barely speak. He just gazed at the egg with his jaw drooping down. "We're going to start a family."

"I'm glad we have each other," said Geminus, placing a claw on Raxtus' shoulder.

Kendra looked back at Lance. From the look on his face, she could tell that Lance was extremely jealous, even though Raxtus and Geminus had every right to be proud. Still, it was hard for someone like Lance, but Kendra didn't know what to say.

"Excuse me," said Lance, as he turned away from the fairies and left the room. Kendra felt the urge to go after him, but at the same time decided it was best to leave him alone.

For the next little while, Kendra and Seth talked to all the fairies. Bracken of course was happy to see Kendra once again, and even asked for her to sit next to him.

Eventually, Warren entered the conservatory. "Hey guys and gals. Dinner is being served in the dining room!"

"Let's go!" said Seth as he hurried over to the door. "I'm starving!"

"Yet you guys spoke of a huge buffet back at Fablehaven," said Tiara. "How hungry can you get?"

Warren then led Seth, Kendra, the fairies and the dragons through another hallway to the dining room. In it were many circular tables, most of which were already filled up. A woman with whom Kendra and Seth were unfamiliar with guided them, along with Warren, Bright and Clover to a table where Lance had already been seated. The boy had his head rested on the table, tucked within his arms.

"Hey," he said softly, not wanting to be the subject of attention.

Before anyone else could think of something to say, Trask walked onto the podium at the front of the room, then tapped the microphone to ensure that it was working.

"Good evening ladies and gentlemen! And fairies, dragons and phoenix! I'm glad that you could all make it here!"

The audience then all clapped in unison.

"We are here today to honor the exploits of several brave members of the Knights of the Dawn."

At this point, the lights dimmed, and a single spotlight shone down at Kendra and Seth's table.

"Kendra Sorenson, Seth Sorenson and Warren Burgess. Along with allied fairy angels Bright and Clover!"

Next, a second spotlight shone down on the corner where the dragons and Jet had gathered.

"And let's not forget the invaluable assistance provided by Raxtus and Jet! And last, but certainly not least, let's hear it for Lance. Without him, this whole expedition would've been impossible, and we would possibly not even be here today."

The entire audience then erupted in applause, while Seth patted Lance on the back several times. Lance certainly seemed less dour now that people were actually praising him for once.

Trask then went on to speak about the adventure that the Knights had embarked on, noting the whole ordeal they had gone through. Lance being controlled by the Society. Kendra getting abducted. She and Lance then getting rescued. Recovering the Translocator and visiting the Fairy Kingdom. Catching Snitch and getting his lead on Matthew and Ashley. Following Ashley to Japan. Boating to the Marianas trench, then venturing the bottom. Dealing with Tritanoss, whose form as soon assumed by Ashley. And lastly, returning to Fablehaven and defeating both her and Oblivion.

By the time he was done, dinner was served by the kitchen staff. On Kendra and Seth's plates were gorgeous steaks, mashed potatoes, green beans and dinner rolls. Had they not already had that huge meal at Fablehaven, they would've been more grateful to be treated to this feast.

By the time dessert rolled around, everyone at the table was too full to even eat the succulent apple pie slice that was on each plate. Seth took just one bite, but had to refrain from eating any more. At this point, Trask made his way back to the podium.

"I take it that everyone's been enjoying their meal," said Trask. "Wonderful. Owe it all to the Fairbanks' talented kitchen staff. But now, I have something really important that I want to share. Lance, would you please come up here for a moment?"

Lance took in a deep breath, then got out of his seat. Seth could sense that something unusual was up if Lance had been called up alone. Was he in trouble? Everyone watched as Lance made his way up to the podium and walked over to Trask. He looked very nervous, and was quite small in comparison to a tall man like Trask. But still, this was the same boy who had the courage to stand up to a demonic entity like Tritanoss, or at least a copycat thereof.

"What is it?" asked Lance.

At that moment, a small, elderly woman walked up onto the podium from the other end. Seth had no idea who she was, but her face did ring a bell to Kendra.

"Good evening," said the woman, accepting the microphone from Trask. "For those of you who don't know me, my name is Estelle Smith, a Knight, like most of you here."

Now Kendra remembered. Estelle had been here on her last visit.

"Lance," said Estelle. "We can't thank you enough for what you did. We've also been informed that you are an orphan, correct?"

Lance nodded, although he didn't want to speak.

"From what I've heard, you've been wanting a normal life, yet you don't want to cut off ties to the Knights of the Dawn, correct?"

Lance nodded again.

"Well, I have good news for you," Estelle said. "My son, Everett and his wife, Diane, are willing to adopt you."

A middle-aged man and woman then stepped up onto the podium. Lance gazed at them in awe as they walked over to him.

"You really want to adopt me?" he asked, barely able to breathe.

"If you'd like," said Diane. "My mother in law, Estelle, is a Knight, but our family... we live pretty normal lives."

"What do you say?" asked Everett.

Lance hesitated, then threw his arms around Everett and Diane as tears flowed down his eyes. He wanted to thank them, but even though he was too awestruck to speak, everyone could sense that he would if he could get the words out.

"Did you know these people were adopting Lance?" asked Seth, turning to face Kendra. His sister shook her head in response.

A moment later, Lance backed away from the Smiths, as a teenage boy stepped up onto the podium.

"Oh, Lance," said Everett, "this is our son, David. Um, I suppose if you'll be living with us, the two of you will be foster brothers."

"Wait a minute," said Seth softly. "Lance gets a _brother_? That... that's not fair!"

"Nice to meet you," said David, as Lance proceeded to give his new brother a hug. The audience then applauded and cheered, happy to know that Lance would be going to a safe, trusting home.

Lance then went back to sit not at his table, but at the one the Smiths' had been at. It felt awkward, knowing that Lance would no longer be with them, but Kendra and Seth knew that it was for a better cause.

For the rest of the evening, Kendra and Seth left Lance to be with his new family, and instead talked to other people they knew, like Trask, Mara and the fairies. At the end, they walked outside into the moonlight backyard, just as Raxtus and Geminus were about to take off.

"I'm glad you're going to be proud parents," said Kendra.

"I guess this is goodbye," said Raxtus, giving a hugs to Kendra, Seth and Warren. "I've got to be heading back to Wyrmroost, but we'll meet again! Maybe when our egg hatches?"

"Goodbye!" said Kendra, waving as the two dragons took off into the air.

"Bye, Raxtus!" said Lance, waving as he walked out onto the ballroom with his family.

"Well, we're off, too," said Everett. "We've got to get to the train station ourselves."

"Tomorrow's the start of your new life," said Diane. "We've got forms to fill out, errands to run, things to do..."

"Seth," said Lance, "Kendra. Warren. All you of you. You've been a huge help in saving me. I'm glad you were able to help me the way you did. I'll keep in touch with you guys! Don't worry!"

Lance then shook everyone's hand. "Thank you all. For everything."

"Goodbye, Lance!" said Kendra, as Lance and his family all waved goodbye as they went back into the mansion, probably to say goodbye to the rest of the company and make their way to the front door.

"Come on," said Mrs. Sorenson, placing her hands upon her children's shoulders. Let's go home."

The Sorensons, Warren, Dale, Bright and Clover, all made their way onto the jet, where Aaron Stone was waiting for them. Once they had boarded the jet, it began to fly off, heading back towards the direction of Fablehaven.

**The End**

**A/N: It took me a while, but I'm finally finished! Be sure to check out the follow-up story "Contradiction of the Malevolent Heart"!**


End file.
